Reverend Billy has been crusading against what he calls “the most environmentally destructive corporation on the planet” for years. His group performs a regular show in New York City called “Monsanto is the Devil.” His website notes the company that is growing GMO crops is the same one responsible for Agent Orange, PCBs, GMOs, Bovine Growth Hormone, and Glyphosate.
“Monsanto must be stopped,” he’s said. “Monsanto is the devil and what better day than Thanksgiving to remind the world that eating local, organic food is one way to stop this profit-mongering, biodiversity-destroying monopoly.”
Reverend Billy’s communications director, Marnie Glickman, called the eat-in a “festive” event.
“It was an amazing day,” Glickman told Sputnik. “The food was tremendous. We had people drive in from Colorado, Iowa, and Kansas.”
More than 60 people showed up, “not including the cops.”
In addition to enjoying local and organic food, the group sang at the gates dressed in Pilgrim and honey bee costumes. Some have suggested that Monsanto products are responsible for the massive bee decline observed over the last few years.
Wednesday night, Reverend Billy visited Ferguson, Missouri, for a memorial service for Michael Brown. He also showed support for the protesters there and to rally against what he called “racist” police in a street sermon.
“Wars against people of color in other lands, racism police departments here, same thing,” he bellowed to cheers of “Amen,” and “Tell’em Billy!”
“Citizens must rise up…. rise-up-alluja. Rise-up-alluja,"
“Ten, 20 years from now you will remember this moment, this turning point in American history,” he continued. “We’re not afraid. We will stop shopping at your super bowls. We will stop giving our tax money to racist police.”
As part of this push for a boycott, Reverend Billy later protested at a Walmart opening late Thursday night for “Black Friday.”
There, he said Christmas had been turned into a way to “manipulate” people into “buying plastic sweatshop goods.”
