DSEi offices trashed

Bob Munton | 08.03.2004 11:42

The offices of Spearhead, organisers of DSEi, Europe's largest arms fair were trashed in the early hours of this morning.

The offices of Spearhead, organisers of DSEi, Europe's largest arms fair were trashed in the early hours of the morning.

The action happened a week before Spearhead's latest conference, Oceanology which also takes place at the excel centre.

Red paint was splattered, locks glued and posters glued up announcing "DISARM DSEi 2005: We will Win", "No to Spearhead. No to the Arms Trade" and "Death Merchants: the attacks will continue."

For further info on protests at oceanology see www.dsei.org

Bob Munton
e-mail: action@dsei.org
Homepage: http://www.dsei.org

Comments

Hide the following 12 comments

A lie

08.03.2004 12:25

This article is a complete lie. Two people attempted to enter the building and were stopped by security, they were then escorted off the premises.
Everything written above is utter bollocks.

If you don't succed in an achievment don't lie about it. This just makes us distrusted by others.

Richard

Not the first time

08.03.2004 14:16

We've seen this sort of thing before. So called activists caliming to have done things that later turn out to be rubbish. I also heard about this from another source (who was there). It seems the pigs where ready for them and they never even got near the offices.

What a sad bunch of losers (although not as sad as the DSEI organisors or course)

Capt Wardrobe

T HIS ACTION DID HAPPEN - PLEASE IGNORE ABOVE POSTS!!

08.03.2004 14:28

um.. I'm not quite sure what the above two posts are trying to achieve or whether they are simply confused.

However I was there and can confirm that this action definitely took place in the early hours of this morning and the details in the original posting are correct and true.

Bob Munton
mail e-mail: action@dsei.org
Homepage: http://www.dsei.org

evidence

08.03.2004 15:20

Some photos of the action, might satisfy the doubters. You didn't have to take them on the night. Maybe the next morning or something.

Doopa

What crap !

08.03.2004 15:53

I thought to check myself by going to the offices at lunchtime for a look ( I'm at Kingston Uni). It is obvious nobody broke in or did any worthwhile damage. I spoke to the staff and they looked bemused at the suggestion of a break in. I also called the office pretending to be a journo and they denied even a disturbance, the press officer even invited me down to view the office and see for myself ( I said I was from the Times)

It looks like the original post is a hoax or a lie (more's the pity)

Sarah

Not Bob again

08.03.2004 15:59

Looks like "Bullshit Bob" strikes again.

Bob's ex friend

Get a grip

08.03.2004 18:07

This is just the sort of bullshit we don't need. Some of us are working hard to stop the death merchants while others are having "fun" pretending to have done something. An action of this sort WAS planned against Spearhead but we were grassed up by someone and turned away. It's interesting that "Bob" claims he was there and saw all these things.

Funny that, when it didn't happen, any explanation Bob ???

DSEI Activist
Homepage: http://www.dsei.org

Action did happen!

08.03.2004 20:12

Umm, I live in the area just behind the spearhead offices and on my way to the train station (about 7am) I walked past the office.

the place definitely was visited by someone. The front door was a mess of red paint and some posters had torn off (probably by the cleaners or security I guess).

If you actually read the above post they didn't claim to have attempted to enter the building and it is unlikely that in the "early hours of the morning" people would be able to walk in and then be chucked out by security!

Also seems like it might be a really stupid idea to wait around or come back in the morning to take photos.

Maybe people should spend more time doing actions and less time trying to discredit people that did them.

pathetic.

well done to the person/people who did it.

bemused

trash the "trashing"

09.03.2004 08:43

DSEi offices "trashed"

just to say try and write with a bit more accuracy!

to say some offices have been trashed gives the impression of that people entered the offices and destroyed property or messed things up.

what was claimed here doesn't really make for a 'trashing' - which is a pretty useless word anyway - think, trees trashed, crustie trashed on cider etc etc

point

Confusion cleared up

09.03.2004 12:47

It seems that the reason for the confusion over this is that whoever decided to attack the Spearhead offices went to the wrong place. The Spearhead office was untouched but a an office nearby (a courier company) did have some paint on its door. It seems the people who did it realised their mistake and then went to the Spearhead office. By that time the security had arrived who confronted them.

Sophie

sounds like the answer

09.03.2004 15:50

What sophie said sounds reasonable and believable. I wouldn't use the word "attack" though! Unless it's like some military pun. A picture would have been good evidence. Should someone apologise to the other company?

Ps do make sure you post from a net cafe or something and not from your home when posting things like this.

any more confirmation?

Claification

10.03.2004 10:23

As I said before, I live in the area. The right building was visited. It has been visited a number of times before for different events.

There seems to be an intense effort to discredit this event. It is very odd.

As the original post states, this wasn't a daytime visit and there was no mention of entering the building (which wouldn't be likely in the wee hours of the morning).

Who is sophie? where is her information coming from? Who is the first poster that so adamently states this did not happen? Do they work for BAE?

Bemused (again)