Lockheed Martin, whose corporate slogan is “We never forget who we’re working for”, was paid another visit on Monday by four activists from a Trident Ploughshares affinity group, the Muriel Lesters. The four leafleted, engaged the public and displayed banners and placards on busy Vauxhall Bridge Road, near Victoria Station to highlight the precise location of the UK corporate headquarters of Trident nuclear weapons manufacturers (warheads and missiles), data-mining specialists and all-round baddies Lockheed Martin, hidden away in an anonymous building in a nearby side street.


One of the activists, holding a large sign with the words “Lockheed bomb makers” and an arrow pointing in the direction of their offices in nearby Carlisle Place, delivered market trader sales patter to passers by, uttering such phrases as “Come and get your lovely nuclear weapons, cluster bombs, depleted uranium munitions, bunker busters – you name it, we’ve got it”; “This month only – 3 WMD for the price of 2 – all stocks must go” and “Wanna start World War III? We’ve got the tools to do it!”.


Their substantial wad of leaflets exhausted by a public horrified to learn of the nefarious corporate activities being conducted in their neighbourhood, and the arms giant’s bid to run the UK national census (where’s Hannibal Lecter when you need him?), the group proceeded to the company’s offices at Manning House (22 Carlisle Place, London. SW1P 1JA). There, they continued to address curious passers by and perform the marker trader routine, whilst also engaging building security in good-natured banter. On Thursday, a “corpse” in a bodybag (one of the activists, not quite dead) had been dumped unceremoniously at the foot of the steps by the group. The protesters have vowed to pay their “nemesis” yet another visit before the year is out.


See report and pic from last Thursday’s action here:

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/10/384043.html

Secure version:  https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/10/384043.html


Block the Builders have called a non-violent blockade of the Atomic Weapons Establishment in Berkshire on Monday 12th November, and are encouraging groups and individuals to come along and blockade and/or support. Please visit the website for further details:

 http://www.blockthebuilders.org.uk


Notes:


1. Lockheed Martin, Serco and - currently - British Nuclear Fuels Plc (BNFL) are equal shareholders in AWE Management Ltd, which the UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a multi-billion pound contract to manage and operate the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) sites at Aldermaston and nearby Burghfield, both in Berkshire, until at least 2025. Lockheed Martin and its bedfellows would seem to have no qualms about lining their pockets producing illegal weapons of mass murder and destruction, at the behest of Brown and Browne and the other warmongers in Whitehall.


2. Block the Builders, supported by Trident Ploughshares and CND, have called a major blockade of AWE Aldermaston on MONDAY 12th NOVEMBER, to demand that the MoD immediately suspends the construction of the Orion laser and other new multi-million pound facilities at AWE, and that the UK government launches a full public inquiry into the alarming new developments at AWE. The new facilities are designed to facilitate the production of a new generation of nuclear warheads - a material breach of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which the UK is a signatory - and to circumvent the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, to which the UK is also a signatory, ahead of any parliamentary decision on the future of ‘British’ nuclear warheads and missiles.

Further details of the forthcoming blockade are available on the Block the Builders website, which includes reports from previous actions, background, legal info, etc:

 http://www.blockthebuilders.org.uk


3. Lockheed Martin promotes itself thus:

“Our vision: As an increasing number of nations of all sizes around the world indicate the desire and capacity to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, it is necessary to expand our field of vision.

“Our aim: To sustain capability to design a warhead to succeed Trident by facilitating production of British nuclear warheads.

“Our priorities: The key elements of the science-based programme we are putting in place to maintain the country’s nuclear stockpile.

“Our future: We can now look forward to a long-term stable future for AWE and for the UK nuclear weapons programme.”

Lockheed Martin also makes - amongst a host of other killing and spying machines, devices and systems - ‘bunker busters’, cluster bombs and depleted uranium munitions, and is said to be the world’s largest arms manufacturer and exporter.


Also check out:  http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news402.htm

The company’s own corporate websites:
 http://www.lockheedmartin.com
 http://www.lockheedmartin.co.uk


4. Trident Ploughshares is committed to bringing about the disarmament of British nuclear weapons through peaceful non-violent direct action. They call upon the British government to stop deploying its submarine-launched Trident nuclear weapons system with immediate effect, safely decommission every one of its warheads as soon as practicable, reverse its decision to renew / replace its (US-dependent) Trident system, and insist that the UN adopt a global Nuclear Weapons Convention, outlawing all nuclear weapons at the very earliest opportunity.

Website:  http://www.tridentploughshares.org

Reports and pics from Trident Ploughshares London ‘weapons inspections’ in February (including Lockheed Martin):

 http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1485

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/02/363646.html

Reports from previous Trident Ploughshares actions at Lockheed Martin’s UK headquarters:

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/10/384043.html

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/09/351270.html

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/06/314195.html

 http://www.tridentploughshares.org/article1248

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/oxford/2004/12/302877.html