Students blockade EDO factory
Andrew Beckett | 24.01.2008 12:34 | Anti-militarism | Iraq | Palestine | South Coast | World
Yesterday morning 15 student activists from Sussex University, Brighton used a variety of tactics to completely blockade EDO MBMs factory in Fishersgate. Students d-locked and glued themselves to doors and occupied the roof in an attempt to bring the factory to a standstill and raise awareness of the products EDO produce.
The student activists managed to lock on before any workers arrived for the first shift of the day, therefore preventing the factory being able to open for the day. A banner reading 'students against EDO' was hung by those occupying the roof and we quickly gained the attention of the police who arrived shortly after us bringing Paul Hills the managing director with them.
Spirits were high throughout the day despite the cold weather and many renditions of "we are the champions" were dedicated to Paul Hills. There was little contact with the police who acted fairly civilly throughout the day even though we counted over 25 of them at one point, including two seargents and two inspectors. Its nice to know that there is so little for the police to do that they have the resources to intimidate peaceful student protestors.
The blockade ended around midday when the students decided that they had achieved their aims as far as possible and that it was time to go. However, the mood soured when the police, bitter from our choice to leave without them arresting all of us, arrested two 19 year old girls on the trumped up charges of criminal damage and carted them off to the police station seemingly at the behest of the EDO management. Fuck you Paul Hills.
EDO MBM are a wholly owned subsidiary of EDO Corp, a US-based arms multinational that is currently number 10 on the Forbes 100 list of fastest growing companies.
EDO's military products include bomb racks, release clips and arming mechanisms for warplanes. They have contracts with the UK Ministry of 'Defence' and US arms giant Raytheon relating to the release mechanisms of the Paveway bomb system.
EDO MBM's supply of weapons systems for the illegal aggression and subesquent war crimes committed in Iraq makes their directors war criminals. International law is very clear on this point, in the 1947 trial of Bruno Tesch, a German industrialist, the court acted "on the principle that any civilian who is an accessory to a violation of the laws and customs of war is himself also liable as a war criminal".
Who are EDO?
Brighton-based EDO MBM are a wholly owned subsidiary of EDO Corp, a US-based arms multinational that is currently number 10 on the Forbes 100 list of fastest growing companies.
EDO's military products include bomb racks, release clips and arming mechanisms for warplanes. They have contracts with the UK Ministry of 'Defence' and US arms giant Raytheon relating to the release mechanisms of the Paveway bomb system.
EDO MBM's supply of weapons systems for the illegal aggression and subesquent war crimes committed in Iraq makes their directors war criminals. International law is very clear on this point, in the 1947 trial of Bruno Tesch, a German industrialist, the court acted
"on the principle that any civilian who is an accessory to a violation of the laws and customs of war is himself also liable as a war criminal".
Tesch was convicted even though he did not supply products for specifically criminal purpose, because he carried on supplying them when he became aware they were being used to commit atrocities. Release mechanisms may not be as 'glamourous' as warheads, but they are just as crucial to the committing of the atrocities in Iraq. Dave Jones, EDO MBM's Managing Director has said under oath that he is "fully aware" of what his products are used for.
Join the weekly noise demonstrations on wednesdays 4-6pm on Home Farm road, Moulescoomb, Brighton.
SMASH EDO!! SMASH ITT!! SHUT DOWN THE ARMS TRADE!!
Spirits were high throughout the day despite the cold weather and many renditions of "we are the champions" were dedicated to Paul Hills. There was little contact with the police who acted fairly civilly throughout the day even though we counted over 25 of them at one point, including two seargents and two inspectors. Its nice to know that there is so little for the police to do that they have the resources to intimidate peaceful student protestors.
The blockade ended around midday when the students decided that they had achieved their aims as far as possible and that it was time to go. However, the mood soured when the police, bitter from our choice to leave without them arresting all of us, arrested two 19 year old girls on the trumped up charges of criminal damage and carted them off to the police station seemingly at the behest of the EDO management. Fuck you Paul Hills.
EDO MBM are a wholly owned subsidiary of EDO Corp, a US-based arms multinational that is currently number 10 on the Forbes 100 list of fastest growing companies.
EDO's military products include bomb racks, release clips and arming mechanisms for warplanes. They have contracts with the UK Ministry of 'Defence' and US arms giant Raytheon relating to the release mechanisms of the Paveway bomb system.
EDO MBM's supply of weapons systems for the illegal aggression and subesquent war crimes committed in Iraq makes their directors war criminals. International law is very clear on this point, in the 1947 trial of Bruno Tesch, a German industrialist, the court acted "on the principle that any civilian who is an accessory to a violation of the laws and customs of war is himself also liable as a war criminal".
Who are EDO?
Brighton-based EDO MBM are a wholly owned subsidiary of EDO Corp, a US-based arms multinational that is currently number 10 on the Forbes 100 list of fastest growing companies.
EDO's military products include bomb racks, release clips and arming mechanisms for warplanes. They have contracts with the UK Ministry of 'Defence' and US arms giant Raytheon relating to the release mechanisms of the Paveway bomb system.
EDO MBM's supply of weapons systems for the illegal aggression and subesquent war crimes committed in Iraq makes their directors war criminals. International law is very clear on this point, in the 1947 trial of Bruno Tesch, a German industrialist, the court acted
"on the principle that any civilian who is an accessory to a violation of the laws and customs of war is himself also liable as a war criminal".
Tesch was convicted even though he did not supply products for specifically criminal purpose, because he carried on supplying them when he became aware they were being used to commit atrocities. Release mechanisms may not be as 'glamourous' as warheads, but they are just as crucial to the committing of the atrocities in Iraq. Dave Jones, EDO MBM's Managing Director has said under oath that he is "fully aware" of what his products are used for.
Join the weekly noise demonstrations on wednesdays 4-6pm on Home Farm road, Moulescoomb, Brighton.
SMASH EDO!! SMASH ITT!! SHUT DOWN THE ARMS TRADE!!
Andrew Beckett
Homepage:
http://www.smashedo.org.uk