Brighton's Smash EDO campaign are holding a mass demo at EDO/ITT on Wednesday 13th October. Anti arms trade campaigners plan to lay seige to EDO/ITT and shut them down for the day.
Info for the Day:: The meeting place for the demo is Wild Park Cafe (directions here) at 10am on Wednesday, but people are being asked to arrive on the evening of the 12th. Convergence space will be available. There will be a meeting about the demo at 7pm at the Cowley Club on Tuesday 12th. There will be a timeline on Indymedia and a twitter feed: @smash_edo
Local contacts for ITT's Hammertime: Birmingham - hammertime-brum [at] riseup.net | Bristol - bristolagainstarmstrade [at] gmail.com | Cambridge - hammertime-cambridge [at] riseup.net | Cardiff - val.swain [at] yahoo.co.uk | Cornwall - kernowaction [at] gmail.com | London - hammertimelondon [at] dsei.org | Manchester - info [at] targetbrimar.org.uk | Notts - alex.dable [at] ntlworld.com | Swansea - d [at] undercurrents.org
Previous features:They Think It's All Over ...ITT Is Now | Smash EDO Solidarity in Nottingham | Hammer Time: The EDO Decommissioners go on trial | Indymedia Coverage of Remember Gaza | Anti Militarists take on Barclays | Support the EDO Decommissioners | Mayday! Mayday! | EDO Smashed | Anti-Arms Protesters Shut ITT | Smash EDO Carnival Against the Arm Trade - Timeline | Carnival Against the Arms Trade | Marie Vesco RIP | On the Verge - The Film They Tried to Ban | Singers Arrested Outside Arms Factory | Smash EDO Action Camp: Shut down the Brighton bomb builders | Lebanon War protesters - Not Guilty! | EDO CORP: 2006 Alternative Report | 2007 Is The Year To Shut EDO Down | EDO MBM Injunction crumbles | EDO MBM desperate to stop protests as resistance increases | Smash EDO Take On The Law | Harassment Law Used Against Anti-War Campaigners | Campaign to Smash Edo | Arms company shut down
Links: ITT's Hammertime demo page| Smash EDO |Target Brimar| Decommisioners
ITT's Hammertime will be the first mass demonstration since the EDO Decommissioners, who smashed up the Brighton death dealers during Israel's massacre in Gaza, were acquitted by a unanimous jury verdict (see SchNEWS 729).
Previous mobilisations at EDO have seen paint pelted at EDO from Wild Park, EDO's windows put in after a mass invasion of EDO's property, MD Paul Hills' car redecorated and thousands of activists targetting companies investing in EDO in Brighton's city centre. Smash EDO press spokesperson Andrew Beckett said “this time the message is clear – our aim on the 13th is to close down the factory for the day. The police cannot stop us from surrounding EDO/ITT”.
Sussex Police, gearing up for a charm offensive while dusting off their teloscopic koshes and ordering in extra pepper spray, have recorded a YouTube appeal calling for Smash EDO to negotiate with the police. Smash EDO have always maintained a non-negotiation stance on the grounds that “dissent is meaningless if it can only occur with state approval”.
Despite the PR veneer the police attempts to clamp down on the campaign continue. This week a five year restraining order was slapped on an Smash EDO campaigner.
Elijah Smith, one of the EDO decommisioners was convicted of witness intimidation. after making a political outburst at Brighton Magistrates' Court while he was on trial for another EDO related offence. Smith had been on remand for the previous six months and was understandably pissed off. The order will impose an exclusion zone, preventing Smith, from continuing to protest against EDO/ITT.
The judge used a new amendment to the Protection from Harassment Act (PHA) 1997, a law originally designed to protect people from stalkers, but now frequently used against protesters. This is the first time the amendment, allowing the use of restraining orders, has been used against a protester.
Previous attempts by EDO to slap injunctions on anti-arms trade activists resulted in a year long high court battle ending in failure (see SchNEWs 492).
Restraining orders, which can now even be imposed on people who are found not guilty, may turn out to be a replacement for the increasingly out of fashion ASBOs.
Also in SchNEWS 742: Frontier Law - Eyewitness account of the No Borders camp and protests in Brussels | Red Leicester - Anti-fascists and English Defence League get ready for Leicester demonstration | It's In Their Make-Up - London shop blockaded to spread the Israeli boycott message. | Cut It Out! - Thousands protest against cuts at Tory conference in Birmingham | Fur Crying Out Loud - Brick Lane invaded by anti-fur protest | Dam Squatters - Amsterdam's squatters fight back against new eviction laws | And Finally - Three year old child is told to remove 'hoody' in Norwich.
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2 days to go untl HAMMERTIME
11.10.2010 13:33
If you are coming early and need accomodation call 07538093930
Hammertime is getting closer! 10am, Wednesday October 13th
The meeting point has now been announced as Wild Park Cafe, Brighton- just north of EDO/ITT. For details of how to get there see http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/09/463939.html.
If you have not already done so, text or email us your mobile phone number for text updates about the demo and convergence space ( smashedo@riseup.net / 07538093930).
As we are starting earlier than usual, at 10am, we strongly urge you to try to make it to Brighton for the evening of the 12th of October or before. There will be a convergence space available (please bring sleeping bags).
There will be a meeting for people arriving for the siege at 7pm on the 12th at the Cowley Club, 12 London Road.
For those that can make it early there will be a workshop at 5pm on FITwatching at the Cowley Club.
Local Contacts
Get in touch with a local contact in your area to get hold of flyers, posters, find people from your area going to 'ITT's Hammertime' and find transport:
Birmingham - hammertime-brum@riseup.net
Bristol - bristolagainstarmstrade@gmail.com
Cambridge - hammertime-cambridge@riseup.net
Cardiff - val.swain@yahoo.co.uk
Cornwall - kernowaction@gmail.com
London - hammertimelondon@dsei.org
Manchester - info@targetbrimar.org.uk
Notts - alex.dable@ntlworld.com
Swansea - d@undercurrents.org
If you can be a local contact in your area, let us know by emailing smashedo@riseup.net
Info for the Day:
The meeting place is Wild Park cafe, but we recommend people arrive at least on the evening of the 12th. Convergence space will be available, location coming soon.... Note that although the space itself is not suitable for dogs, alternative animal friendly accommodation can be arranged.
Stay Safe - wear black, mask up....
Spot of Bother with the old Bill? Call Kellys Solicitors on 01273674898
Witnessed an arrest or need advice? Legal support 07538121464
The Cowley Club will be open from 5.30pm-12.00am on the evening of Wednesday 13th, there will be an evening meal and live music from 8pm featuring The Wildkatz Project and Dirty Scavenger.
See you on the streets...
Smashy
Homepage: http://www.smashedo.org.uk/hammertime.htm
Emotional Support for Hammertime
12.10.2010 15:59
there will be a safe space away from the demo throughout the 13th
the phone will be answered in the weeks following Hammertime
see you on the streets...
Smashy
e-mail: smashedo@riseup.net
Homepage: http://www.smashedo.org.uk/hammertime.htm
Convergence space for ITT's HAMMERTIME announced
12.10.2010 18:07
Smashy