ATTORNEY GENERAL TO GIVE ADVICE ON LEGALITY OF IRAQ WAR

On Friday 9th September the Attorney General’s office will give advice to the High Court on the legality of the war and the evidence of war crimes committed by UK, US and Israeli forces under international law.

This is as a result of evidence submitted to the court in the ongoing injunction trial between Brighton peace campaigners and arms dealers EDO MBM. At the last hearing the Attorney General’s office was requested by Judge Simons to give advice on the documents provided by the defence which raise the spectre of the legality of the Iraq war and specifically the liability of British forces for war crimes under international law.

Currently EDO MBM have obtained a controversial interim injunction under the Protection from Harassment Act, which restricts the nature of protests outside their factory on Home Farm Industrial Estate, Brighton. The act specifically excludes
actions taken to prevent or detect crime. The defendants will argue that their conduct was intended to prevent war crimes which are illegal under UK domestic law.

EDO MBM supply essential components for weapons used by the armed forces of the UK, US and Israel, particularly the Paveway missile system. The defendants have provided evidence of their use in war
crimes in both Iraq and Palestine.

Weapons systems supplied by EDO MBM have been used in the bombardment of civilian populations in Iraq and the Occupied Territories. The ‘Shock and Awe’ campaign involved deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure, such as bridges and hospitals. The defendants argue that not only was the war illegal but specific war crimes were committed within the conduct of that war. For full details of the allegations please see the attached document entitled “EdoComposite Defence(2)” [currently offline]

THERE WILL BE A DEMONSTRATION OUTSIDE THE ROYAL COURTS
OF JUSTICE ON FRIDAY 9TH AT 10.00 AM

A PRESS CONFERENCE WILL FOLLOW THE HEARING WHICH IS
EXPECTED TO FINISH AT 4:30 PM

Notes for Journalists

Brighton & Hove is a UN Peace Messenger City

The injunction referred to was served under the 1997 Protection from Harassment Act (originally designed to protect women from stalkers) and is the first of its kind directed at activists outside of the animal rights movement. Crucially it is a civil injunction but carries criminal penalties. It affects anyone deemed to be a protestor. Initially EDO/MBM requested a large "exclusion zone" comprising the whole of Home Farm Industrial Estate.

They and Sussex police also wanted to limit demonstrations to two and a half hours, with less thanten people who had to be silent. Judge Gross refusedto impose these conditions at the initial hearing of an interim injunction, which was put in place in the period before the full trial to be heard at the High court in London from November 21st. In his summing up he said, "The right to freedom of _expression is jealously guarded in English law" and consequently refused to impose the requested limits on size, timing or noise made at demonstrations. He also said that he doubted that protesters were 'stalking' employees of EDO MBM.

EDO MBM Technologies Ltd are the sole UK subsidiary of huge U.S arms conglomerate EDO Corp, which was recently named No. 10 in the Forbes list of 100 fastest growing companies. They supply bomb release mechanisms to the US and UK armed forces amongstothers. They supply crucial components for Raytheon's Paveway guided bomb system, widely used in the "Shock and Awe" campaign in Iraq.

EDO also withdrew a threatened libel action against Indymedia over being named as "warmongers".

Lawson-Cruttenden & Co
Solicitors firm working for EDO have been instrumental in developing the Protection of Harassment Act 1997 from a measure designed to safeguard individuals to a corporate charter to make inconvenient protest illegal. Theyhave pioneered to use of injunctions to create large "exclusion zones". They have secured numerous injunctions against anti-vivisection and anti-GM protestors.

Campaign against EDO MBM
People involved in the anti-EDO campaign include, but are not limited to: local residents, the Brighton Quakers, peace activists, anti-capitalists, Palestine Solidarity groups, human rights groups, trade unionists, academics and students. The campaign started in August 2004 with a peace camp. It's avowed aim is to expose EDO MBM and their complicity in war crimes and to remove them from Brighton.

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