Beekeepers taking on Bayer in Germany's Supreme Court ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

 
 

Beekeepers, activists and Ekō (formerly SumOfUs) staff protesting at Bayer's annual shareholder meeting in Germany in 2017

John,

Beekeepers are fighting Bayer in court to defend our right to protest its toxic pesticides.

They’ve chased the pesticide giant through the courts and made it to the highest court in Germany. They're a step away from finally defeating Bayer  – but they’re running out of money to pay their rising legal costs. Without our help, they simply cannot continue to fight.

This is exactly what Bayer wants. If we stop now, it and any other corporation in Germany will be able to use the power of the police and courts to stop our protests whenever they want. But we can still win and make sure our right to protest against Bayer and its toxic pesticides is protected, always.

Can you donate today to help defeat Bayer in court?

Donate $3Donate another amount

Here’s how it all started: Bayer tried everything it could to shut down our protests outside its annual shareholder meeting in 2017. Back then, it had just announced its plan to merge with Monsanto – and there was no way we were going to miss our chance to speak out against the merger from hell.

Bayer's bosses called local law enforcement and fed them lies about how dangerous the protests would be, going so far as to claim that beekeepers posed a terror threat. Of course, it wasn’t true. Still the police came to shut us down and force us to leave.

Luckily we were able to win a last-minute legal injunction that stopped Bayer from getting its way that day – but now our beekeeper friends have been fighting Bayer in court ever since to ensure our right to protest peacefully is protected forever.

Now that they have made it all the way to the Supreme Court in Germany, they’re determined to win and finally end this – but they simply don't have enough money to keep paying the legal costs.

It's so important we win this case. Protests at shareholder meetings can have a powerful impact on how shareholders decide to vote: our protests led to shareholders not ratifying the Bayer board, which was a historic moment and a huge shock to Bayer’s bosses. That forced them to change. If these beekeepers lose, any company in Germany will be able to use the power of the police and courts to ban our protests. John, we can't let that happen.

Can you donate to help defeat Bayer in court?

Donate $3Donate another amount

Lawsuits like these are expensive and drag on for years, but we can win and make sure we protect all of the voices speaking out against companies like Bayer that are trying to silence us. If we raise more than these beekeepers need, your donation will go towards powering our campaigns against Bayer and others trying to keep bee-killing pesticides in use everywhere.

Thanks for all that you do,
Yasmin and the Ekō team


More information:

Why are European governments clamping down on the right to protest? The Guardian. 17 November 2023.

CBG Press Release (in German language). CBG Network. 26 November 2020.

Ekō (formerly SumOfUs) protests at the Bayer AGM in Germany. Ekō (formerly SumOfUs). 31 October 2018.

 
 

Ekō is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy.

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