Protest Rally At Codex Alimentarius Meeting

Passionate chants of “Down with Codex” rang through the cold streets of Berlin early Monday morning as a crowd of activists and scholars marched towards the beginning session of the CODEX ALIMENTARIUS Commission meeting. Organized by the Dr. Rath Health Foundation, the protest rally channeled the efforts of an international movement in a peaceful gathering against the push towards a worldwide ban on natural therapies. Setting the tone, a large sign held above the rally front boldly proclaimed the essence of the movement by stating: “Your time is over. Stop Codex. Free Access to Natural Health.”

Reiner Braun, executive director of the Dr. Rath Health Foundation, guided protestors down the streets of Berlin towards the opening session of the CODEX meeting on Monday, November 4, 2002. The peaceful protest movement moved steadily towards the destination point chanting and blowing whistles to voice opposition to the legislature being considered. A subgroup of the United Nations, CODEX, serves as the division regulating the international standards on nutrition and foods for special dietary usage. As in the United States Political sphere, the United Nations is also heavily influenced by special interest groups who lobby for or against legislature being considered by parlimentarians.

Dr. Rath opened the protest Rally speaking segment by exposing the appalling push of the pharmaceutical industry to influence the United Nations legislation that would end with the essential ban of all natural and non-patentable therapies. Dr. Niedzwiecki and Ralf Langner also gave impassioned speeches condemning the hidden agenda of the CODEX meeting and the unethical lobbying efforts of the large-scale drug companies.

Dr. Rath again emphasized the importance of everyone getting actively involved in the process by writing letters to political leaders, talking to journalists, and spreading the word about the potential threats of the CODEX movement.

Dr. Rath argued, “Never before has an industry so systematically comprised the health of millions of people in an effort to create an enterprise founded in the prolonging of disease.” He looked behind him at the building hosting the CODEX meeting and pointed directly.

Dr. Rath then invited Bontlefeela Setshogoe to the stage to discuss her experiences in the South African battle to fight the sale of expensive pharmaceutical drugs and the suppression of information about natural therapies. Setshogoe related her appreciative feelings about the work of Dr. Rath and asked the crowd to join her in chanting South African chants often used in protests during the apartheid regime. The mood in the crowd was exhilarating and impassioned as the crowd chanted.

During the Rally, the Dr. Rath Health Foundation staff organized a dramatic rendition of the world community awakening and the death of CODEX by having a coffin (symbolizing CODEX) followed by the Grim Reaper. In addition, a German musical group performed folk music throughout the day to provide a cultural link to the protest process. Poetry and Song ended the rally further arousing the protesters to take peaceful action to stop CODEX before the legislature is approved on a global scale. In the final analysis, the event was a tremendous success by sending a firm message to policy makers influenced by the financial resources backing the lobbying efforts of larger pharmaceutical companies—“YOUR TIME IS OVER!”