The death of Marie Vesco, aged 19, en route to the Carnival Against the Arms
Trade outside the Arms Factory EDO-MBM, has been a blow to everyone involved in
the campaign. Marie and her friends were cycling from London to Brighton to participate
when her bicycle was hit by a car. Marie was a committed anti-war activist with
the Whitechapel Food Not Bombs and the Brixton Reclaim Your Food groups. Her commitment
against climate change and war was what motivated her and her 11 companions to
cycle from London to Brighton for the protest.
A close friend of Marie’s
said, “She was a very warm and generous person who was always laughing and
always made people laugh. She had just moved in with her boyfriend and had plans
to open a social centre. She was very giving and always lent a helping hand. Things
will never be the same without her.”
The fact that she was killed on
the roads, whilst cycling lawfully and safely, speaks volumes about the priorities
of the British government. Whilst arms dealers are subsidised to the tune of billions
of pounds, the relatively small amount of money that it would take to provide
safe cycle lanes for bikes is held back.
Andrew Beckett, Smash Edo press
spokesman said “EDO’s weapons are used in wars that are fought for oil
to fuel the automobile industry that is burning up the planet and responsible
for countless deaths. The Smash Edo campaign is ready to give any support they
can to Marie’s friends and fellow campaigners.
There was a minute’s
silence on the Level where protesters gathered after the demonstration in her
honour.
Notes for Journalists
THE FILM
On the Verge
is an independent film about the SMASH EDO Campaign
“In 2004 a group
of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pot and pans outside their local arms
manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of their part in the Iraq war. This has grown
into the Smash EDO campaign, which has cost the company millions, been the subject
of large scale police operations and has tested the right to protest in the UK.Using
activist, police and CCTV footage plus interviews with those involved in the campaign,
'On The Verge' tells the story of one of the most persistent and imaginative campaigns
to emerge out of the UK's anti-war movement and direct action scene.”
The
Company
EDO MBM Technologies Ltd are the sole UK subsidiary of huge U.S
weapons manufacturer EDO Corp.From their base in Moulescoombe Brighton, EDO MBM
manufacture vital parts for the Hellfire and Paveway weapons systems,laserguided
missilesused extensively in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Somalia. EDO Corp were
recently acquired by ITT in multi-billion pound deal. ITT's links to fascism go
back to the 1930s. The founder Sosthenes Behn was the first foreign businessman
received by Hitler after his seizure of power.
The Campaign
There
has been active campaign against the presence o f EDO MBM in Brighton since the
outbreak of the Iraq war.Campaigners include students, Quakers ,Palestine solidarity
activists, anti-capitalists and academics. Despite an injunction under the protection
of harassment act (which failed) and over forty arrests the campaign is still
going strong.Their avowed aim is to expose EDO MBM and their complicity in war
crimes and to remove them from Brighton. They hold regular weekly demos outside
the Moulescoombe factory on Wednesday's between 4 and 6.
THE FILM
On
the Verge is an independent film about the SMASH EDO Campaign
“In 2004
a group of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pot and pans outside their
local arms manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of their part in the Iraq war. This
has grown into the Smash EDO campaign, which has cost the company millions, been
the subject of large scale police operations and has tested the right to protest
in the UK.Using activist, police and CCTV footage plus interviews with those involved
in the campaign, 'On The Verge' tells the story of one of the most persistent
and imaginative campaigns to emerge out of the UK's anti-war movement and direct
action scene.”
