and Scientists?

and Scientists = and Scientists Go on Warpath Against
Transgenic Crops as well?

Context:

Activists—and Scientists

BEIJING—Events took an ominous turn soon
after the host invited questions from the
audience. At the podium, geneticist Zhang
Qifa had just delivered a lecture at China
Agricultural University here last November
on the functional rice genome and boosting
crop yields. A pioneer in developing and
testing genetically modifi ed (GM) variet-
ies of rice in China, Zhang leads scores of
researchers and students in his rice genom-
ics and biotechnology laboratory at Hua-
zhong Agricultural University in Wuhan.
His achievements have made him a scientifi c
superstar in China—and to a band of anti-
GM activists, Public Enemy Number One.
After Zhang defl ected the fi rst question,
a young man in an orange jacket sprang to
his feet. Reciting from a piece of paper, he
peppered Zhang with questions about GM
crop safety and whether scientists have ille-
gally distributed transgenic seeds to farm-
ers. Zhang and the host declined to answer,
promising that a public forum would address
such concerns. A woman then blurted out,
“Zhang Qifa is a traitor!” and accused him
of using 1.3 billion Chinese as lab mice.
Next, an older man approached the podium,
picked up a ceramic tea mug from the front
row, and hurled it, missing Zhang.
“It was a dangerous situation,” says