Organic Researcher

Since we launched our urgent appeal last week, GM Watch seems to have come under attack yet again.

The morning after our appeal went out, asking people to donate online from our gmwatch.org site, our site suddenly became unavailable. Since then, as many of you have experienced, accessing the site has been difficult at times and at times even impossible.

These problems could be down to an as yet unidentified technical glitch, but that’s not what the firm hosting our websites is telling us. From monitoring what’s been occurring, their current assumption is we’re suffering a Denial of Service style attack.

They point out that they have over 300 sites on the same server as gmwatch.org, but not one of the others has experienced any of these problems. And our 2 sites – gmwatch.org and lobbywatch.org – are also the only sites on their server to have been comprehensively vandalised. (It’s also interesting that lobbywatch.org has so far been free of the current problems, as it’s not a site from which donations can be made.)

Whatever the ultimate cause of the problems, please do remain patient if you’re trying to access the GM Watch site or would like to support our work.

Donations can still – at times! – be made here:
http://www.gmwatch.org/donate.asp

But if you can’t get to that page, please don’t forget donations can always be sent by post (made out to ‘NGIN’ and in any currency) to 26 Pottergate, Norwich, NR2 1DX, UK

Help keep GM Watch alive and kicking!
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URGENT appeal for financial support for GM WATCH

We hope you like what we do. We are now reaching a far bigger global audience than ever before, not least thanks to the sterling work of our teams of volunteer translators who are making our roundups of world news available in Dutch, German and, most recently, Greek, with Portuguese hopefully to follow.

We remain particularly committed to supporting those working to defend the rights of farmers and communities in the developing world. This is what Aruna Rodrigues has to say about us (Aruna’s the grassroots campaigner who has brought all new GM crop trials in India to a grinding halt via the public interest litigation she and her co-petitioners have launched):

“I was thinking the other day, could I have brought this petition to India’s Supreme Court in the absence of GM Watch? The fact is that this would not have been even remotely possible. GM Watch has not just been an inspiration but a vital resource in the case. Quite apart from their lists and websites, their unstinting help and support and their ability to link to relevant experts has proven invaluable and timely.”

Not everyone is so appreciative. Recently our sites were comprehensively vandalised, and we now face a big bill for getting them back online and protecting them from similar attacks.

Even before our sites were trashed, we were already running on empty, thanks to a copyright dispute brought by a multinational company that meant we couldn’t fund-raise for fear of any monies you donated disappearing into corporate coffers.

Now we’ve successfully sat that out, we URGENTLY need your support in order to continue doing what we do.

PLEASE donate either by making a donation online here: http://www.gmwatch.org/donate.asp
or you can send a check or money order made out to ‘NGIN’ to GM Watch, 26 Pottergate, Norwich, UK, NR2 1DX.

Thank you for your support.

GM Watch editors: Jonathan Matthews / Claire Robinson
www.gmwatch.org / www.lobbywatch.org

MORE COMMENTS ABOUT GM WATCH

“The genetic engineering industry spends hundreds of millions of US dollars on global PR, marketing, lobbying and buying-off of politicians. Sustaining the work of GM Watch is essential to countering this corporate political power and propaganda.’
John Stauber, Founder Center for Media & Democracy (publishers of PR Watch), USA

“GM Watch is remarkably effective and informative. Its comprehensive coverage and penetrating commentary provide activists and the public around the world with essential knowledge about the GM debate.”
Jeffrey M. Smith, author of Seeds of Deception, the No. 1 bestselling book on GM foods

“Over the past 20 years, I have worked with scores of NGOs and individual whistleblowers, who have provided much of the information I’ve used as an investigative journalist. But I have never come across any as well-organised, effective and hard working as GM Watch.”
George Monbiot, journalist, author and broadcaster

“GM Watch is part of the life blood of our global alliance to protect our food and agriculture – communicating our successes, identifying emerging issues and catalysing resistance. Thank you GM Watch!”
Keisuke Amagasa, NO! GMO Campaign, Japan

More comments at http://www.gmwatch.org/p1temp.asp?pid=33&page=1

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I thought this important and interesting so put the whole piece in.