On March 8th, activists with Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement (MST) invaded a pig iron plant owned by Vale, the world’s largest iron ore exporter and second-largest mining company. Protesters sabotaged machinery and vandalized buildings in commemoration of International Women’s Day, according to statements by the company.

The MST is best known for occupying unused land as a way of carrying out land reform through direct action. According to TV reports, the protesters stormed the Monte Libano charcoal ranch in northeast Brazil to demand the closure of 71 charcoal furnaces near an MST settlement.

Raw iron ore is processed with charcoal to produce pig iron, a precursor to steel. In November 2007, MST activists blockaded one of Vale’s iron-ore export railways in the northern state of Para, demanding funding for social programs and public participation in corporate decision-making.