Smash EDO Press Release -John Catt challenges police surveillance

On 9th February 2012 John Catt, a campaigner against arms dealers EDO MBM Technology Ltd in Brighton, a subsidiary of American arms company ITT Exelis Inc, brought a case in the high court over the retention of data by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit on the National Domestic Extremist Database.

Cleaning up ITT's act

During the case Jeremy Johnson, lawyer for the Metropolitan Police and ACPO, said that 261 individuals details were stored on the database because of their connections to Smash EDO.

Andrew Beckett of Smash EDO said “In court the Metropolitan Police and NPIOU have grossly mis-characterised Smash EDO as an organised criminal group in order to justify their big brother database. This is a lie. The truth is quite the opposite.”

"The real criminals here are EDO MBM, and the British government's secretive police intelligence units that protect and serve this corporate perjurer and aider and abettor of war crimes."

In 2010 a Crown Court jury acquitted 7 activists of £300,000 damage to EDO MBM/ITT because, despite five days of cross examination of the company’s managing director, he could not convince the jury that ITT Exelis were acting lawfully.

Chloe Marsh, spokesperson for Smash EDO said “The enormous international political extremism of Britain, the USA and its allies goes on unreviewed by their respective judicial systems, while those who take a public stand against them face ever more monitoring, intrusion, and repression by these same state criminals.”

Smash EDO is planning a Summer of direct action aimed at closing down EDO MBM/ITT in 2012. The Summer campaign will commence on Mayday 2012 - see www.smashedo.org.uk/1

For interviews email

smashedopress@riseup.net

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'EDO MBM Technology Ltd, Brighton is a subsidiary of US arms company ITT
Exelis. Excelis describes itself as 'a leader in Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) related products and systems and information and technical services, supplying military, government and
commercial customers in the United States and globally.'

This corporation has a direct interest in the expansion of surviellance and intelligence led policing methods that are the subject of this Judicial Review.

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Links to mainstream media coverage:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/surveillance-is-too-intimidating-for-protesters-claims-lawyer-6699894.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-16964432

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/feb/09/protester-sues-police-surveillance-database?newsfeed=true

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/undercover-with-paul-lewis-and-rob-evans/2012/feb/08/secret-police-files-challenged

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/feb/09/pensioner-sues-police-domestic-extremist

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/115248

Andrew Beckett and Chloe Marsh
e-mail: smashedopress@riseup.net
Homepage: www.smashedo.org.uk

Comments

Hide the following 2 comments

corrections

10.02.2012 13:12

1. 'NPIOU' should read 'NPOIU' as in National Public Order Intelligence Unit

2. 'EDO MBM Technology Ltd' is the the current not former trading name of the arms company in Brighton. It is a subsidiary of US arms corporation ITT Exelis Inc.

3. The high court Judicial Review has been brought by John Catt against the decision of ACPO and the Metropolitan Police to retain intelligence information held about him on the NPOIU 'domestic extremist' database. ACPO formerly had command of the NPOIU but this was taken over by the MET as a result of exposure of the activities of undercover police officer Mark Kennedy.

proofreader

database, now thats a good idea

10.02.2012 17:18

maybe its time we put together a database of all the criminal companies that are fookin up the world. Might take up some server space though.

Purrdy

UK Indymedia

Smash EDO Press Release -John Catt challenges police surveillance

Comments

corrections

database, now thats a good idea