Press Release - All Those Arrested At EDO Protest Released Without Charge

The ten protesters arrested at a demonstration outside EDO MBM/ITT yesterday have been released on police bail. They are due to return to Hollingbury Custody Centre on August 7th.

The ten people were held for up to thirty hours and eight people had their houses raided. Two laptops, a personal computer, mobile phones and clothes were confiscated. The police applied for a twelve hour extension of the 24 hour maximum period of detention. Despite this police failed to press any charges.

Many of those detained at the demonstration had been arrested for minor, non-imprisonable offences.

Smash EDO press spokesman Andrew Beckett said 'Sussex Police have made statements in the media attempting to demonise those arrested. The fact they have all been bailed without charge suggests the police have little evidence against them.'

Campaign spokeswoman Chloe Marsh said 'Wednesdays protest was a resounding success for the campaign. The campaign will continue until EDO closes down.'

Notes for Journalists:

THE CARNIVAL AGAINST THE ARMS TRADE

600 people participated in The Carnival Against the Arms Trade on Wednesday June 4th which marched from the Level to EDO MBM/ITT despite attempts at police repression.

More info about the Carnival and a flyer for the event can be found at www.smashedo.org.uk/carnival

Notes for Journalists

THE FILM

On the Verge is an independent film about the SMASH EDO Campaign

“In 2004 a group of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pot and pans outside their local arms manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of their part in the Iraq war. This has grown into the Smash EDO campaign, which has cost the company millions, been the subject of large scale police operations and has tested the right to protest in the UK.Using activist, police and CCTV footage plus interviews with those involved in the campaign, 'On The Verge' tells the story of one of the most persistent and imaginative campaigns to emerge out of the UK's anti-war movement and direct action scene.”

The Company

EDO MBM Technologies Ltd are the sole UK subsidiary of huge U.S weapons manufacturer EDO Corp.From their base in Moulescoombe Brighton, EDO MBM manufacture vital parts for the Hellfire and Paveway weapons systems,laserguided missilesused extensively in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Somalia. EDO Corp were recently acquired by ITT in a multi-billion pound deal. ITT's links to fascism go back to the 1930s. The founder Sosthenes Behn was the first foreign businessman received by Hitler after his seizure of power.

The Campaign

There has been active campaign against the presence o f EDO MBM in Brighton since the outbreak of the Iraq war.Campaigners include students, Quakers ,Palestine solidarity activists, anti-capitalists and academics. Despite an injunction under the protection of harassment act (which failed) and over forty arrests the campaign is still going strong.Their avowed aim is to expose EDO MBM and their complicity in war crimes and to remove them from Brighton. They hold regular weekly demos outside the Moulescoombe factory on Wednesday's between 4 and 6.

THE FILM

On the Verge is an independent film about the SMASH EDO Campaign

“In 2004 a group of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pot and pans outside their local arms manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of their part in the Iraq war. This has grown into the Smash EDO campaign, which has cost the company millions, been the subject of large scale police operations and has tested the right to protest in the UK.Using activist, police and CCTV footage plus interviews with those involved in the campaign, 'On The Verge' tells the story of one of the most persistent and imaginative campaigns to emerge out of the UK's anti-war movement and direct action scene.”