Last night Tony Janio of Brighton and Hove Conservative party proposed a motion to the council meeting condemning Smash EDO's demonstration on 4th June and calling for its cancellation. [PDF]
However, Tony Janio works for a multinational arms manufacturer with a close relationship with EDO MBM, the company which Smash EDO are planning to demonstrate against.
Tony Janio has declared in his register of member's interest that he works for Thales [PDF], a French arms company. Thales are EDO's partners on the Paveway IV Precision Guided Bomb programme [link]. Janio has worked for Thales since 1993.
Andrew Beckett, spokesperson for Smash EDO said “Tony Janio claimed that the motivation for the motion was concern that the demonstration would cause disruption to the people of Brighton. In fact his actions are more likely to be motivated by a desire to protect a business partner from public anger and scrutiny.”
Chloe Marsh of Smash EDO said “The mentions of the Jubilee in Janio's motion are irrelevant as the Jubilee has never been the target of the march. The demo is against the threat of a new imperialist war and the profits that EDO stand to make from it. The arms trade does not stop because just because of the Jubilee holiday”
“Smash EDO's demonstration on June 4th is planned to highlight the threat of an attack on Iran by Israel and the US and to demonstrate against British involvement in such an attack which, like the 2003 attack on Iraq, is motivated by a desire to dominate Middle-Eastern oil reserves. Iran has the fourth largest global reserves of oil.”
Smash EDO are hosting a public meeting on the threat of war with Iran on the 5th April at the Friends Meeting House in Ship Street at 7.30pm.
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