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19th July 2007
Lebanon War Protesters Back In Court
Three anti-arms trade activists are back in court tomorrow (Monday 23rd July 2007) having taken part in a blockade of Brighton weapons manufacturers, EDO MBM. The case was adjourned part heard in April.
The three protesters took part in the nine hour blockade of the factory during Israel's summer offensive in Lebanon and Gaza which left over a thousand dead.
Their intentions were to highlight UK corporations complicity in Israel's war crimes. International law failed to protect the Lebanese people during the 34 day bombardment.
The campaigners, who are charged with 'preventing lawful activity', are arguing that EDO MBM's business is not lawful.
In a joint statement the defendents said:
"This time last year Israel's bombing of Lebanon resulted in over a thousand dead, nearly a million people were displaced, and entire villages were destroyed. Still today children are being killed by cluster bombs left over from the onslaught.
"We are using this opportunity to remember the atrocities that were perpetrated a year ago."
Smash EDO will continue to protest until EDO MBM shuts down completely or converts to non-military production.
Contact Andrew Beckett or Sarah Johnson for more
details.
The case is set to run all week. There will be a solidarity demonstration outside the Edward Street Magistrates Court, Brighton, on Wednesday the 25th of July at 1pm.
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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