Callout for solidarity with the EDO defendants during the trial

Monday the 7th of June 2010 sees the beginning of the trial of the “EDO Decommissioners”. During their estimated 10 week trial they will argue that their action -smashing up the EDO/ITT factory which makes weapon components used by the Israeli army- was justified to slow down the war crimes being committed by Israel in Gaza. The decommissioners always intended to go on trial but a lot is at stake, including the possibility of lengthy prison sentences, if the case is lost. This is your chance to support them from wherever you are based whilst they are taking the continuously murderous Israeli war machine to court. Both UK and international support is appreciated.

What you can do:

Arrange your own solidarity demo at a suitable target where you are.
Good solidarity destinations could include, for example, a picket with a decommissioner theme outside your local branch of Barclays Bank. Barclays are the Market Maker on the Stock Exchange for the ITT Corporation, EDO’s parent company. For information about Barclays and demos already help against them see  http://www.smashedo.org.uk/target-barclays.html . There is also a downloadable flyer on the site for use during pickets. ITT is an international company with locations world wide.

Get in touch with any press contacts you might have and urge them to cover the trial and help us in exposing the horrors of Israel’s war crimes.

Write to Elijah:
Elijah Smith, one of the decommissioners, has been on remand in prison since the time of the decommissioning and will stay there throughout the trial. He appreciates letters. If you want a reply, please send an SAE. Write to: Elijah Smith, A3186AM, HMP Lewes, 1 Brighton Road, Lewes, Sussex, BN7 1EA.

Send messages of support to:  smashedo@riseup.net

Donate to the prisoner support fund. See  http://www.smashedo.org.uk/donate.htm for information about how to make a donation. If you want to donate specifically for prisoner support please indicate this.

Saturday 5th June - 5.30pm: Come to the Support the Decommissioners Public Meeting, Community Base, Queen's Road Brighton. See web-site for further details.

Monday 7th June: There will be a vigil outside the court on the first day of the trial. Come to support (please note that court details are sometimes changed at the last minute so check web-site for details on the day).

Wednesday 9th June: If I Had a Hammer - Decommissioners support demo at EDO/ITT, Home Farm Road, Brighton 4-6pm. Bring inflatable hammers and noise making equipment. Noise demos take place outside the factory EVERY WEDNESDAY between 4 and 6.

What happened:
On January the 17th 2009 the bombs had already fallen relentlessly on Gaza for three weeks. Massive, passionate demonstrations and pickets had been held in many cities around the country and the world in protest against Israel’s war crimes, but to no avail. A growing sense of helplessness was grabbing hold of the movement as the Palestinian body count stood at 1400 and counting. 300 of the dead were children. This was the night of the “citizen’s decommissioning” of the weapons manufacturer EDO MBM/ITT in Moulsecoomb, Brighton.

Just after midnight the six decommissioners broke into EDO’s premises with the aim to, in Elijah Smith’s words, “…smash it up to the best of [their] abilities”. It was an entirely accountable action where each decommissioner had pre-recorded a video in which they stated the reasons for their participation –to help dismantle the war machine from the factory floor (to view their video statements go to  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfa8R2AxUFg&feature=related ). Once inside the building, the six barricaded themselves in and set to work; Equipment used to make weapon components -including some used in Israeli F16 fighter jets- were trashed whilst computers, filing cabinets and office furnishings were thrown out of the windows. Once they were done they calmly waited for the police to arrest them. Three bystanders were also arrested on the day and are now implicated in the decommissioners’ court case.

Chief Inspector Graham Pratt was quoted in the Guardian as saying: "Windows had been smashed and offices turned over in what I would describe as wanton vandalism, but with machinery and equipment so targeted that it could have been done with a view of bringing business to a standstill”. He was of course misguided. Far from being an action of “wanton vandalism”, it was a thought through act of resistance against what could only be described as the massacre going on in Gaza. However, the second part of his statement was rightly observed: the decommissioning prevented the manufacturing side of EDO from working for several weeks, hence slowing down the murderous war machine they are a part of.

KEEP CHECKING THE WEBSITE FOR UPDATES.
CIRCULATE WIDELY