Anti-GMO and anti-glyphosate activists are already being fingered as suspects – with zero evidence

An envelope thought to contain an explosive device was neutralized at around lunchtime today at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) headquarters in Parma.

Already there are attempts to blame anti-GMO and anti-glyphosate activists – though there is apparently zero evidence to justify these suspicions.

Valter Giovannini of the Bologna Public Prosecutor’s office said, “In the past, EFSA has been subjected to attacks from that quarter,” referring to “clashes” with a group called “No GMO” in March 2014.

But this event, according to a report titled “Suspected explosive device sent to EFSA” in EU Food Policy (behind a paywall), involved about 100 anti-GM protestors, who “stormed the EFSA building but the protest did not pose a risk to staff”.

One Italian news outlet (Repubblica.it) introduces into its report on the episode the fact that EFSA is currently involved in “the glyphosate affair”, in other words the re-approval of the pesticide in Europe, though again there appears to be no evidence to justify any link to anti-glyphosate activism.

The incident is being handled by Italy’s counter-terrorism unit.