Deadly attack on MST settlement in São Paulo: two killed, six injured amid land disputes

From People’s Dispatch

On Friday, January 10, families from the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) at the Olga Benário Settlement in São Paulo’s countryside were attacked, resulting in two deaths and six injuries, including children and elderly. 

Residents reported that around 11 pm, ten armed bandits invaded the area with cars and motorcycles, shooting indiscriminately.  

The attack resulted in the deaths of Gleison Barbosa de Carvalho, 28, and Valdir do Nascimento, 52. 

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called MST national leader Gilmar Mauro on Saturday, January 11 to express his condolences for the murdered workers and the injured.  

Mauro told Brasil de Fato that the president expressed his solidarity with the MST and the victims’ families. He made the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Ministries of Human Rights and Citizenship, Agrarian Development, and the Federal Police available to provide necessary assistance to the settlement and thoroughly investigate the case. “Lula stated that once authorized to fly [due to his health], he wants to visit the region,” said the MST leader.  

Land conflicts in São Paulo

The MST describes this attack as a facet of the broader land conflicts in the state of São Paulo, and an example of the shortcomings of the current Agrarian Reform program. 

“The lack of effective public policies on the part of the São Paulo government leaves the territories operating under the Agrarian Reform program vulnerable and the settled families unprotected, producing a dynamic of insecurity and violence,” MST explained in a press release.

The Olga Benário Settlement faces intense competition from real estate speculation focused on leisure tourism, due to its lucrative location in the Paraíba Valley region. 

For years, the families living there have dealt with threats and coercion. Although several complaints have been made to state and federal agencies, governing bodies have yet to provide an effective response to ensure the long-term safety and security of these families in the territory.

The MST adds that these settlements under agrarian reform cannot just be left to their own devices. The land reform program must serve the peasant workers and the true heirs of the land. It must guarantee their rights so as to prevent opportunists from taking advantage of these territories, and endangering the families living there. 

“We demand that the Government of the State of São Paulo urgently conduct a thorough investigation to identify the criminals and ensure that justice is served.”

Man arrested for allegedly leading the attack 

The man accused of leading the attack on the MST in Tremembé, São Paulo upstate, was arrested on Saturday, January 11. Antonio Martins Filho, known as ‘Nero do Piseiro,’ is suspected to be the crime’s mastermind. 

Police Chief Marcos Ricardo Parra stated that the 41-year-old man confessed to the crime. “Not only has he confessed, but he is also indicating where the other participants can be found,” Parra said at a press conference.  

In addition to his confession, the man was identified by hospitalized victims and witnesses. However, the motive behind the crime remains unclear. There are indications it may be related to a dispute over a plot in the settlement.  

“The issue was an internal problem among settlement residents, unrelated to land invasion or protection. It was a matter of whether or not they would be allowed to negotiate the land. So far, we haven’t determined if he was the buyer or the intermediary. Either way, he was there to change people’s minds,” Parra explained. 

This Monday, January 13, the São Paulo Public Security ordered the temporary arrest of the second person suspected of the attack, Ítalo Rodrigues da Silva, who is still on the run.

Lula’s ministers attend the wake of MST victims

Minister Macaé Evaristo, from the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, and Minister Paulo Teixeira, from the Ministry of Social and Agrarian Development, attended the wake for the victims of the attack on the Olga Benário settlement, of the Landless Workers’ Movement (MST), in Tremembé, in the interior of São Paulo, this Sunday, January 12.

At the wake, Minister Macaé Evaristo stated that the federal government will pay more attention to MST settlements in São Paulo, something which has long been publicly demanded by movement leaders.

“We continue to fight because we know that in São Paulo we need to pay very special attention, because our movements are under fire and under fire. And our people cannot perish at the hands of their executioners, who believe they own the wealth of our country,” said the minister in Tremembé.

“Those who attack democracy incite violence, violence against our movements, violence in the countryside, violence that takes our lives,” said Evaristo.

Minister Paulo Teixeira reiterated that he is awaiting more information about the crime. “What we hope is that the police will clarify who committed this crime and who really ordered it, and that they can provide security to these settlers who want to get on with their lives and produce food. They were inside the settlement, they weren’t bothering anyone. They want to defend their lot,” he said.

“This fact will not constrain the agrarian reform program. On the contrary, it will advance in the sense of settling people, guaranteeing food production and guaranteeing the security of all the settlers,” he concluded.

*Based on reports from Brasil de Fato and the MST page