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24th March 2009
Seven Campaigners Acquitted
Seven people have been on trial for a week accused of aggravated
trespass at Brighton Magistrates court charged with locking
on to the fence of EDO MBM/ITT on March 19th 2008 to commemorate
the fifth anniversry of the invasion of Iraq. EDO supply weapons
used by US and UK forces in Iraq. The defendants argued, as
one part of their defence, that EDO's business was not lawful.
Paul Hills, Managing Direrctor of EDO, was questioned last week
over his companys' complicity in war crimes.
The seven defendants were acquitted this morning by a bench
of magistrates.
One person was found guilty of criminal damage after allegedly
gluing himself to a fence. He was given a conditional discharge.
Chloe Marsh, press spokesperson for the Smash EDO campaign,
said "As always, it is EDO who should be in the dock not
people who voice their dissent against them".
Andrew Beckett said "Last week marked the sixth anniversary
of the invasion of Iraq. Yesterday at least 18 Iraqis were killed
by violence caused by the US/UK occupation. The only people
who have benefitted from the war are private companies like
EDO MBM/ITT."
Notes for
Journalists 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 a 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.”
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