POLICE INTERVENE IN UNIVERSITY FILM SCREENING

Hampshire police have intervened to prevent the screening of an anti-war film at Southampton University's Student Union, scheduled for May 2nd. The film 'On the Verge' by SchMovies documents a Brighton campaign to shut down a local arms factory and has already been the subject of nationwide attempt at censorship.

Hampshire Police contacted staff at Southampton University Students' Union. They then cancelled the screening because of fears that the police would attend.

The Southampton University 'Green Action' group, who were forced to pull their screening on Friday 2nd, said 'we are very disappointed to have had to cancel our showing of 'On the Verge' at Southampton University. It would appear that the union has been subjected to external pressure to not allow the screening to go ahead and we feel we have no option but to cancel. We hope to be able to show the film at a later date.'

Steven Bishop, from the film collective SchMovies, said 'This raises questions of how far free speech has been undermined in this country. When even universities bow to police pressure over what can and cannot be seen by their students we are at a very dangerous point for a democracy”

The film tour has been dogged by police repression since the film premiere had to be moved from a local cinema due to police intervention. Sussex Police initially denied involvement in the decision to cancel the screening at the Duke of York's cinema, with Chief Inspector Taylor telling the Argus newspaper that "Police played no part in the controversial cancellation. Subsequently however the police were forced to admit that "a junior officer, who is not based in the city, alerted the city council to the showing and they advised the cinema of its responsibilities."

Police have used film licensing and entertainment licensing regulations to try to criminalise screenings as well as telling venue owners that the group touring with the film are "anarchist" undesirables. Venues in Oxford, Bath, Hereford, Bristol and Leeds have received harassment and threats of legal action if they do not agree to the cancellation of screenings.

CONTACTS:

Steve Bishop - SchMovies 07879 261625

Andrew Beckett/Chloe Marsh 07875 708873

Sussex Police Press 01273 404173

Hampshire Police Press 01962 8716196.

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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