The struggle for land has more victims in the Brazilian countryside. This time, five workers were killed. The murders happened on the night of last Monday (July 6th), the Garrote settlement, located in the district of Santo Domingo in Brejo da Madre de Deus (PE). The national coordination of the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem-Terra (MST) did not discard the hypothesis that the crimes were motivated in retaliation to the struggle for agrarian reform. João Pereira da Silva, Juarez Cesario da Silva, Natalicio Gomes da Silva, Gonçalves Olimpio Cosme and Dede were executed by two men while working in the construction of the houses of the settlement. Erionaldo José da Silva, who was also on site, was shot in the shoulder, but does not risk death. A member of the MST's national coordination and coordinator of the settlement, Jaime Amorim, says there is huge number of agrarian conflicts in the region. "We live in a permanent conflict here in the state. So it is quite likely that these workers are victims of a revenge of the latifundia or ultra-reactionary people who try to fight the spread of the Landless Movement. Unfortunately it is a difficult situation, but in the class struggle, we must face as we are facing a long time this type of violence." João Pereira da Silva was a local leader and worked as coordinator of the settlement. The other four workers were living in the settlements Lago Azul and Macambira and were helping in the effort over four weeks to build the houses. The settlement Garrote houses 30 families and gained the title of permanent possession of the land three years ago. From São Paulo, the Radioagência NP, Aline Scarso. 07/07/09
