Police Lie About Banning Peace Activist Film

According to the Duke of York's cinema they received an e-mail at 4.15 p.m yesterday (Mon March 17th) from Martin New, a council environmental health officer. He explained that the police had reported that the film had not been certificated and therefore should not be shown. The Duke of York's were forced to pull the showing.

Chief Inspector Laurence Taylor was quoted in the Argus newspaper as saying "We would never get involved with the certification of a film- it is not something we would do." However, both local Brighton Green Party councilor Keith Taylor and Julie Harris from the council's press office confirmed that the council had been contacted by Sussex Police about the film's certification.

A spokesman for the production company SchMovies said “I am extremely disappointed but not entirely surprised by the police's action. As the showing of the film has been widely advertised for at least six weeks, not least in the Duke of York's programme any certification issues could have been dealt with well prior to the event. Our film although focussing mainly on the rights and wrongs of protest shows a number of examples of questionable police behaviour – Perhaps this is why they left their move so late”

Andrew Beckett, spokesman for the campaign said 'When the police are reduced to banning film showings via the back door another blow has been struck against our rights to free speech and free assembly'

CONTACTS:

Steve Bishop – SchMovies 07879 261625

Andrew Beckett/Chloe Marsh 07875 708873

Arthouse Community Centre, Southampton 02380238582

Sussex Police Press 01273 404173

Hampshire Police Press 01962 871619

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.

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