Open Invite to Paul Hills from Smash EDO
Andrew Beckett | 10.08.2009 08:55 | Smash EDO | Anti-militarism | Iraq | Palestine | South Coast | World
AN OPEN INVITATION TO SMASH EDO'S PUBLIC DEBATE: IS BREAKING THE LAW TO RESIST WAR CRIMES EVER JUSTIFIED?
For the attention of Paul Hills (Managing Director of EDO MBM), EDO MBM employees and the people of Brighton,
cc, The Argus
For the attention of Paul Hills (Managing Director of EDO MBM), EDO MBM employees and the people of Brighton,
cc, The Argus
On Tuesday August 11th 2009 Smash EDO will be holding a public debate around the subject of direct action under the heading "Is breaking the Law to Resist War Crimes Ever Justified". As you are aware the campaign has, for the last five years, used all kinds of direct action to highlight EDO's involvement in world wide conflicts.
We say EDO produce weapons components used in Iraq and Afghanistan by the US and UK armed forces, and components, including those for the F16, supplied to Israel for crimes against the Palestinians.
Ever since the campaign started the representatives of EDO MBM, now ITT, have been completely non-transparent about the nature of their business. The company often claim that Smash EDO have got their facts wrong, yet they will not provide arguments to refute what we say. They have, time and again, refused to talk to us and have blocked Freedom Of Information requests relating to EDO's production activities. As a result we continue to rely on our own research -which we believe to be correct- and on direct action based protest.
EDO MBM/ITT directors have repeatedly denied manufacturing arms for Israel from the witness box in court. However it is extremely hard to believe these claims while the company is holding patents for two components for the Israeli F16.
On January 17th 6 people broke into EDO and caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage. They are arguing in their defence that they were acting to prevent EDO's supply of weapons to Israel. 1400 civilians had died in Gaza during January as a result of unprovoked Israeli bombardment, Israel's weapon of choice during that month was the F16.
We would like to open an avenue for communication by inviting Paul Hills, EDO MBM employees and any other interested individuals to an evening of debate around these issues. We would like to ask them: Was the decommissioning of EDO not justified in light of EDO's supply of weapons to Israel?
The debate will take place on TUESDAY AUGUST 11th at 7.30pm at the Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton.
We say EDO produce weapons components used in Iraq and Afghanistan by the US and UK armed forces, and components, including those for the F16, supplied to Israel for crimes against the Palestinians.
Ever since the campaign started the representatives of EDO MBM, now ITT, have been completely non-transparent about the nature of their business. The company often claim that Smash EDO have got their facts wrong, yet they will not provide arguments to refute what we say. They have, time and again, refused to talk to us and have blocked Freedom Of Information requests relating to EDO's production activities. As a result we continue to rely on our own research -which we believe to be correct- and on direct action based protest.
EDO MBM/ITT directors have repeatedly denied manufacturing arms for Israel from the witness box in court. However it is extremely hard to believe these claims while the company is holding patents for two components for the Israeli F16.
On January 17th 6 people broke into EDO and caused hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage. They are arguing in their defence that they were acting to prevent EDO's supply of weapons to Israel. 1400 civilians had died in Gaza during January as a result of unprovoked Israeli bombardment, Israel's weapon of choice during that month was the F16.
We would like to open an avenue for communication by inviting Paul Hills, EDO MBM employees and any other interested individuals to an evening of debate around these issues. We would like to ask them: Was the decommissioning of EDO not justified in light of EDO's supply of weapons to Israel?
The debate will take place on TUESDAY AUGUST 11th at 7.30pm at the Friends Meeting House, Ship Street, Brighton.
Andrew Beckett
e-mail:
smashedopress@riseup.net
Homepage:
http://www.smashedo.org.uk
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