Bayer became one focus for the genetix campaign when it aquired Aventis Cropsciene a couple of years ago. Now called Bayer Cropscience, the company owns all the GM varieties likely to be planted first, should commercial growing be approved with in next couple of years.

Being the company initially expected to profit most from commercialisation, Bayer has become the target of a UK wide campaign intending to put pressure on all it's business interests.

In responce to the resulting actions (over 40 so far reported, averaging over one per week), Bayer sought court protection to stifel dissent. It seems unlikely that Bayer's attempts will work. There are plenty of examples where similar attempts have backfired on the corporations involved (for example the classic example of McLibel). Indeed, outrage caused by attacks on freespeech often involvs more people in campaigns and injects new energy and tactics.

Court orders used against Animal Rights protesters have simply resulted in great numbers of covert actions which, in the face of an injunction, become lower risk activities than standing around in public with leafets and banners.

Some observers have commented that there are strong indications that the biotech industries PR machine is hopping to discredit the anti-GM movement which has enjoyed massive public support and sympathy from much of the mainstream and even in the courts.

Whether Bayer succeeds in thrawting the campaign against it, or whether the biotech industry manage to alienate the anti-GM movement - there is another, perhaps more significant part to the story.

This injunction is just part trend and perhaps simply the tip of a fast approaching iceburg. The accelerating pace of the criminalisation of dissent is clearly noticable to those working on many different fronts. Be it through injuntions, or the use of police powers under the terrorist act or the public order act, protest appears to be increasingly risky as our rights are attacked from all sides.