smashEDO

20th March 2008

Activists Blockade EDO MBM to mark Fifth Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq

This morning eleven demonstraters, acting under the banner of Smash EDO, blockaded EDO MBM a weapons manufacturer in Home Farm Road, Brighton, to mark the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Protesters super glued themselves to one main gate and the pedestrian gate,others used arm tubes to build a barricade across the second main gate, while two super-glued themselves to the two fence panels previously used by EDO staff to gain entrance on previous blockades.

Policed seized cameras and notebooks from bystanders under section 19 of the Police And Criminal Evidence Act. On previous demonstrations police have seized equipment from NUJ registered journalists. Smash EDO have waged an ongoing campaign since 2004 aimed at highlighting EDO MBM’s complicity in international war crimes. Today marks the anniversary of a five year invasion of Iraq . Since 2003, an estimated 1,003,000 have died as a result of the military intervention.

EDO MBM make essential parts for the ‘Paveway’ system used in the bombardment of Iraq . Activists want to emphasize EDO MBM’s role in the production of arms which play a crucial part in acts of aggression committed by the coalition forces in the Middle East . Our government and private investors should not profit from illegal wars!

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.