SMASH EDO
http://www.smashedo.org.uk
PRESS RELEASE
Thursday 2nd June 2005
EMBARGO. For Immediate Release
CONTACT: Andrew Beckett 07875 708873
smashedopress@yahoo.co.uk
EIGHT ARRESTS AS POLICE USE VIOLENT TACTICS TO DEFEND
BRIGHTON ARMS FACTORY
Peace campaigners have blamed intimidating and dangerous police tactics for clashes outside Brighton arms dealers EDO MBM’s factory on 31st May. This was the first major demonstration outside the factory since the granting of an interim injunction against protests under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
Around eighty protestors gathered outside EDO’s factory at 3pm and were confronted with a similar number of police. Police immediately attempted to confine protestors to a narrow grass verge, which borders a fifty-foot drop onto a railway line.
Confrontation was sparked when police pursued an 84 year old man onto the verge to arrest him for obstructing the highway. As the police wrestled him to the ground horrified onlookers including his daughter attempted to intervene. A police charge pushed parts of the crowd including children close to the cliff edge. Ultimately eight arrests were made for offences ranging from obstruction of the highway to the more serious charge of assaulting the police. Significantly none of those arrested were charged with breaching the injunction.
Andrew Beckett press spokesman for the campaign said “This was a clear attempt by Sussex Police to intimidate people out of their right to protest. Sussex Police suggested that EDO MBM seek an exclusion zone from the High Court in the first place. The restriction on protests was comprehensively rejected by Judge Gross who said,‘The right to freedom of expression is jealously guarded in English law’. He made it clear that there was to be no restriction on the timing, size or noise of demonstrations at the weapons factory. Police tactics on the day were unreasonable, anti-democratic, and violent and could easily have resulted in serious injury or even death. The fact that the police haven’t charged anyone with breaching the injunction shows it to be a flimsy legal pretext for repression. Despite this we will not be silenced ”
SMASH EDO invites press and anyone who is against the arms trade and for freedom of speech to join them for a national demonstration.
DEFY THE INJUNCTION-DISARM THE BOMB MAKERS
SATURDAY JUNE 11TH 12PM ON THE LEVEL, BRIGHTON.
Noise Demos every Wednesday 4 ‘til 6
Notes for Journalists
Brighton&Hove is a UN Peace Messenger City.
The injunction referred to was served under the1997 Protection from Harassment Act (originally designed to protect women from stalkers) and is the first of its kind directed at activists outside of the animal rights movement. Crucially it is a civil injunction, which carries criminal penalties.
Initially EDO/MBM requested a large “exclusion zone” comprising the whole of Home Farm Industrial Estate. They and Sussex police also wanted to limit demonstrations to two and a half hours, with less than ten people who had to be silent. Judge Gross refused to impose these conditions at the initial hearing. In his summing up he said, “The right to freedom of expression is jealously guarded in English law” and consequently refused to impose the requested limits on size, timing or noise made at demonstrations.
EDO MBM Technologies Ltd are the sole UK subsidiary of huge U.S arms conglomerate EDO Corp, which was recently named No. 10 in the Forbes list of 100 fastest growing companies. They supply bomb release mechanisms to the US and UK armed forces amongst others. They supply crucial components for Raytheon’s Paveway IV guided bomb system, widely used in the “Shock and Awe” campaign in Iraq. EDO also recently withdrew a threatened libel action against Indymedia over being named as “warmongers”.
Lawson-Cruttenden & Co, a solicitors firm working for EDO have been instrumental in developing the Protection of Harassment Act 1997 from a measure designed to safeguard individuals to a corporate charter to make inconvenient protest illegal. They have pioneered to use of injunctions to create large “exclusion zones”. They have secured numerous injunctions against anti-vivisection and anti-GM protestors.
Campaign against EDO MBM, People involved in the anti-EDO campaign include, but are not limited to: local residents, the Brighton Quakers, peace activists, anti-capitalists, Palestine Solidarity groups, human rights groups, trade unionists, academics and students.
The campaign started in August 2004 with a peace camp. It’s avowed aim is to expose EDO MBM and their complicity in war crimes and to remove them from Brighton.
_____________________________________
http://www.smashedo.org.uk PRESS RELEASE
Thursday 2nd June 2005
EMBARGO. For Immediate Release
CONTACT: Andrew Beckett 07875 708873
smashedopress@yahoo.co.uk EIGHT ARRESTS AS POLICE USE VIOLENT TACTICS TO DEFEND
BRIGHTON ARMS FACTORY
Peace campaigners have blamed intimidating and dangerous police tactics for clashes outside Brighton arms dealers EDO MBM’s factory on 31st May. This was the first major demonstration outside the factory since the granting of an interim injunction against protests under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
Around eighty protestors gathered outside EDO’s factory at 3pm and were confronted with a similar number of police. Police immediately attempted to confine protestors to a narrow grass verge, which borders a fifty-foot drop onto a railway line.
Confrontation was sparked when police pursued an 84 year old man onto the verge to arrest him for obstructing the highway. As the police wrestled him to the ground horrified onlookers including his daughter attempted to intervene. A police charge pushed parts of the crowd including children close to the cliff edge. Ultimately eight arrests were made for offences ranging from obstruction of the highway to the more serious charge of assaulting the police. Significantly none of those arrested were charged with breaching the injunction.
Andrew Beckett press spokesman for the campaign said “This was a clear attempt by Sussex Police to intimidate people out of their right to protest. Sussex Police suggested that EDO MBM seek an exclusion zone from the High Court in the first place. The restriction on protests was comprehensively rejected by Judge Gross who said,‘The right to freedom of expression is jealously guarded in English law’. He made it clear that there was to be no restriction on the timing, size or noise of demonstrations at the weapons factory. Police tactics on the day were unreasonable, anti-democratic, and violent and could easily have resulted in serious injury or even death. The fact that the police haven’t charged anyone with breaching the injunction shows it to be a flimsy legal pretext for repression. Despite this we will not be silenced ”
SMASH EDO invites press and anyone who is against the arms trade and for freedom of speech to join them for a national demonstration.
DEFY THE INJUNCTION-DISARM THE BOMB MAKERS
SATURDAY JUNE 11TH 12PM ON THE LEVEL, BRIGHTON.
Noise Demos every Wednesday 4 ‘til 6
Notes for Journalists
Brighton&Hove is a UN Peace Messenger City.
The injunction referred to was served under the1997 Protection from Harassment Act (originally designed to protect women from stalkers) and is the first of its kind directed at activists outside of the animal rights movement. Crucially it is a civil injunction, which carries criminal penalties.
Initially EDO/MBM requested a large “exclusion zone” comprising the whole of Home Farm Industrial Estate. They and Sussex police also wanted to limit demonstrations to two and a half hours, with less than ten people who had to be silent. Judge Gross refused to impose these conditions at the initial hearing. In his summing up he said, “The right to freedom of expression is jealously guarded in English law” and consequently refused to impose the requested limits on size, timing or noise made at demonstrations.
EDO MBM Technologies Ltd are the sole UK subsidiary of huge U.S arms conglomerate EDO Corp, which was recently named No. 10 in the Forbes list of 100 fastest growing companies. They supply bomb release mechanisms to the US and UK armed forces amongst others. They supply crucial components for Raytheon’s Paveway IV guided bomb system, widely used in the “Shock and Awe” campaign in Iraq. EDO also recently withdrew a threatened libel action against Indymedia over being named as “warmongers”.
Lawson-Cruttenden & Co, a solicitors firm working for EDO have been instrumental in developing the Protection of Harassment Act 1997 from a measure designed to safeguard individuals to a corporate charter to make inconvenient protest illegal. They have pioneered to use of injunctions to create large “exclusion zones”. They have secured numerous injunctions against anti-vivisection and anti-GM protestors.
Campaign against EDO MBM, People involved in the anti-EDO campaign include, but are not limited to: local residents, the Brighton Quakers, peace activists, anti-capitalists, Palestine Solidarity groups, human rights groups, trade unionists, academics and students.
The campaign started in August 2004 with a peace camp. It’s avowed aim is to expose EDO MBM and their complicity in war crimes and to remove them from Brighton.
_____________________________________
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Comments
Hide the following 8 comments
Best Value?
03.06.2005 13:27
Someone should be made to resign over this.
Council Tax Payer
Land of the corporate free
03.06.2005 15:47
Why don't they just tell us there is no right to protest so then we all know where we stand.
Brian
Brighton Police - Worst in England????
03.06.2005 22:34
I was one of the eight that were arrested, and now, cause of Brighton Police, i having to travel down again. This is summit i can't afford!
The policing, as i mentioned above was an attack on the right to protest! The police in brighton pushed and assulted protestes, push myself in to some older lady! I hope that someone in brighton sues Brighton police for their failure to protect the well being of people on the protest, this is because peoples lives were endanged! Pushing people of a cliff is acceptable for the police in Brighton?
I thought Manchester Police sucked, but Brighton police are the worst in England!
EDOPhobic-Manchester
Bedazzled ? ( a short entertainment)
05.06.2005 09:47
[for Voices, let's imagine Pete and Dud ]
NEW VISITOR TO INDYMEDIA:[Enter Dud - Stumbling around in the darkness] Wow! One minute I was Surfing the Internet, the next minute I'm lost in this strange place. Where am I ?
WEBMASTER: [Pete- A voice from the darkness] You've arrived at the Smash EDO Indymedia pages mate, must have hit a wrong link or something.
VISITOR: Who are you, and why is it so dark in here ?
WEBMASTER: I try to keep my Identity Secret to avoid prosecution - So I call myseif a pixie.
VISITOR: And the darkness?
WEBMASTER: Ah! That's one of our biggest problems at Smash EDO. It's because there's no enlightenment here. Just as with a black hole the density of mass is so great that even light cannot escape the gravitational pull; so at Smash EDO the density of the members is so great it prevents any enlightened thoughts escaping.
VISITOR: oh, I see your problem.
WEBMASTER: What, even in this light?
VISITOR: Well, maybe not. But what is that awful smell?
WEBMASTER: Oh, you noticed that, that's our clothes. As usual, the Smash EDO people think they are changing things (including their clothes) but in reality they never change angthing.
VISITOR: I think my eyes are getting used to the darkness now.
WEBMASTER: That's a danger sign mate, you'd better leave before they have you banging a drum on thursdays.
VISITOR: who is that little chap in the corner with the glue and red paint on his hands ?
WEBMASTER: Oh, some people call him a pixie and some call him Chris, but really he's Just a Nowhere Man.
[The Beatles Song is heard in the background.]
VISITOR: what do you mean ' Nowhere Man'?
WEBMASTER: Well, he's been splashing red paint about and glueing locks for over a year, but like the rest of us at Smash EDO he's just getting Nowhere.
VISITOR: [panicking a little] Oh no! I feel very strange. My... my clothes are changing ....they're all scruffy and "individual".
WEBMASTER: [Handing the visitor a mirror] that's nothing - you should see your our hair mate.
VISITOR: Arrgh! Long, wild and unwashed. And I have a beard, and a copy of 'The Guardian'.
WEBMASTER: No going back for you mate - you're a lost cause.
VISITOR: Blah, blah, blah .... illegal war Blah, blah, blah .... Warmongers
Blah, blah, blah ....Not in our peace city Blah, blah, blah .... Right to protest Blah, blah, blah ....
WEBMASTER: See you at the next Noisy Protest?
VISITOR: yeah man, until we get EDO out !
WEBMASTER: Don't hold your breath mate, they'll probably still be here when we've all grown up and got proper jobs.
[Both exit with heads bowed low]
The play wot I rote
Dear CRIMINAL of Manchester
05.06.2005 09:53
"Oh no, I got arrested in Brighton and can't afford to come down again", am I missing something here OR IS THIS YOUR OWN FAULT!
get a life, get real, oh and while youre about it, get another ticket to brighton!
Cliff Bottom
Manchester United are, and still are, the Worst thing to come out of Manchester
05.06.2005 13:08
Clearly your not interested in defending the right to protest. If you knew anything, you would know that the police in Brighton, like other parts of the country only want to criminalise all protests. Your comments only go along with the polices' agenda, you muppet.
Defend the Right to Protest
Defend the EDO 8
Defend the M&S 9
INNOCENT EDOPhobic-Manchester
Nice man
05.06.2005 13:27
With this posting you've quite clearly shown your contempt for human life and complete disregard for democratic rights. Can I take a guess where you work? With those human values you must be quite a high achiever in your chosen field.
Jenny
Off their Trolls
05.06.2005 13:37
Why can't the pro-Edo people get their own site instead of writing dumb comments here? They could talk about types of bombs, planes, guns, soldiers and all that boyhood fantasy stuff that interests them.
YBF