DSEi and the arms trade 2006 - news archive

The US Department of Defense inspector general was instructed by US Congress last summer to carry out an 'independent investigation' into EDO Corp Director and former CIA man Dennis C Blair's involvement in the F22 multiyear contract, and has found paradoxically that he did breach conflict of interest rules, and yet this did did not affect the Institute for Defense Analyses report that recommended an extension of the F22 programme. Blair resigned as President of IDA and EDO Corp this summer after was revealed he and EDO stood to benefit financially from the contract which the so called independent IDA report recommended.

The SFO believed the banking files could unlock the answer to three questions: Were members of the Saudi royal family receiving secret British pay-offs? Were offences committed under UK law? And had BAE lied to the Department of Trade and Industry to get insurance cover when the company recently claimed it had cleaned up its act and got rid of its confidential Saudi agents?

But the events of the next 48 hours ensured that the SFO would not be allowed to collect those files. Instead came a sudden harsh lesson in the realities of power and politics in Blairite Britain.

And then, despite the planet sweating like George Bush at a spelling competition, the Government announced that both Gatwick and Stansted airports are to get new runways. And then the Government announced that moody arms deals and ‘the national interest’ with Saudi Arabia trumped bribery investigations and human rights. You know, trivial stuff like that. After another body was identified in Ipswich, the announcement that Tony Blair was questioned by police as part of a corruption investigation - the first Prime Minister in history to be so - was the crowning turd on a big stinking pile of them.

Downing Street yesterday bowed to pressure from Saudi Arabia and forced the Serious Fraud Office to abandon its investigation into alleged bribery of Saudi officials by BAE Systems. The investigation had embarrassed the Saudi royal family, on whom the alleged £60 million bribes were supposed to have been spent, and threatened a new £10 billion defence deal awarded to BAE by the Kingdom.

A major criminal investigation into alleged corruption by the arms company BAE Systems and its executives was stopped in its tracks yesterday when the prime minister claimed it would endanger Britain's security if the inquiry was allowed to continue. The remarkable intervention was announced by the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, who took the decision to end the Serious Fraud Office inquiry into alleged bribes paid by the company to Saudi officials, after consulting cabinet colleagues.

The Serious Fraud Office has dropped a corruption probe into a defence deal with Saudi Arabia, after warnings it could damage national security.
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Lord Goldsmith also told peers that Prime Minister Tony Blair had agreed that the continuation of the investigation would cause "serious damage" to relations between the UK and Saudi Arabia.

Most of our manufacturing industries languish around the place like unloved and unemployed step-sons. Our arms manufacturers on the other hand are like the favourite son - nothing is too good. The attention, time and money we lavish on them is extravagant to say the least. There’s a prestige involved in flogging weapons and the tools of oppression to abattoir states you see. Our leaders lobby customers on their behalf (you can see John Reid as this sales team’s Blake character, can’t you?). Via the Defence Export Services Organization (DESO), a government department, we help private companies sell weapons.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has heavily criticised a decision to curtail an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into BAE Systems, the UK's biggest arms company. The Government today announced that the investigation was being dropped, adding that it would otherwise last for a further eighteen months. CAAT spokesperson Nicholas Gilby said:

"The people of the UK do not benefit when ministers give in to bullying. As with other criminal investigations, this inquiry should have been allowed to run its course. BAE Systems has been placed above the law. The requirements of the brutal Saudi regime have been put ahead of the British public interest. This outrageous decision demonstrates the huge influence of arms companies and arms deals within Government."

Lord Goldsmith seems to have decided (with the help of Tony Blair) that a small matter like the law shouldn't get in the way of huge British arms deals with Saudi Arabia and relations between the two countries. So an investigation into serious alleged corruption can be quietly dropped at the behest of the Prime Minister, the Saudi government and BAE. Nice one Tony!

It is a sad fact that youthful rebellion against the establishment appears to have diminished over the years in this country. Go to many anti-war marches and the average age is quite high - too high. On local marches, despite the high student population in Brighton, there are never that many students. There are a few who do turn up regularly but too few. I do not know why student radicalism has faded but life as a student must be very different today compared to student life a few decades ago.

Yesterday Smash EDO held a victory masked ball to celebrate EDO's dismal performance in 2006

Three protesters had their first hearing in Brighton Magistrates today after blockading EDO MBM, Brighton. The blockade took place during Israel's illegal invasion of Lebanon this Summer. The campaigners are charged with preventing lawful business. They will argue that EDO's business is not lawful as they are ancillary to Israel's war crimes in Lebanon.

Secret payments of millions of pounds from Britain's biggest arms company have been found in Swiss accounts linked to Wafic Said, a billionaire arms broker for the Saudi Royal family, according to legal sources. Mr Said refused last night to speak about the allegations. But the discovery presents the biggest potential breakthrough yet achieved in the Serious Fraud Office's three year investigation into allegations that illegal commissions may have been paid to Saudi royals by BAE Systems.

But the danger and paradox of military spending is that the bigger the budget, the more powerful the lobby becomes which can fight for its own survival. As the Guardian's revelations about the corrupt relationships they have cultivated with Saudi princes show, the civil servants in the MoD write their own rules. Much of the time they seem to be defending not the realm but the arms companies.

On Wednesday around 50 protesters including the rhythms of resistance samba band turned out to 'greet' Mike Baunton, the Vice President of Caterpillar, who was due to speak at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers' Annual Dinner. The function was held in the ballroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel.Caterpillar hold the sole contract for the supply of military D9 bulldozers to the Israeli army. Caterpillar machines are used to destroy Palestinian homes in acts of collective punishment, build checkpoints and roadblocks to restrict civilian movement, build illegal Israeli colonies on Palestinian lands, destroy Palestinian olive trees and agricultural land, build the illegal annexation wall and murder civilians.

Anyway remember kids, defence contractors absolutely never sell any weapons which are capable of mass destruction. All equipment manufactured by BAE Systems contains a high-tech chip which restricts use exclusively to the killing of really bad people who totally deserved it. Each defence tool also comes with a sticker of a cuddly teddy bear (now with real faux fur) and a lollipop. So that's OK then.

A CONTROVERSIAL deal personally approved by Tony Blair to send a multimillion-pound air traffic control system to Africa is being investigated for corruption, The Times can reveal. The Serious Fraud Office and Ministry of Defence police are looking into allegations that BAE Systems paid backhanders to the Tanzanian Government for a £28 million military air traffic control system.

For the third quarter in a row troubled US warmongers EDO Corporation have failed to meet their expected financial targets, citing 'substantial challenges' of 2006. Today its share price took another plunge into the abyss losing several million dollars in market value after investors reacted to poor results.

The government has spent £7.5 million on destroying weapons. In isolation, that sounds pretty good, but take a look at Escaping the Subsidy Trap: Why Arms Exports are bad for Britain, a report by the Oxford Research Group, the British American Security Information Council and Saferworld estimating the amount by which the taxpayer subsidises the arms export industry.

The Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) spends £15 million a year of our taxes selling arms for British arms manufacturers, often to countries with poor human rights records or engaged in violent conflict. We contribute ten times as much to promoting arms sales than promoting civil exports. Always headed by an arms industry executive, DESO gives the arms manufacturers a unique influence over government policies.

It is only the arms industry, looking myopically to the next quarter’s share price, that has a direct interest in war above all else. Terrorist attacks in the US or Europe? Ker-ching! Shares in British Aerospace rocketed before the dust of the twin towers had settled, and protesters outside the DSEi arms fair in London on September 11th, 2001 (possibly unreliably) reported the sound of champagne corks popping from inside the building as the news came through. US wars of conquest dragging on for years? Ker-ching! All those brave soldiers will need feeding, arming and equipping for as long as they’re out there.

Well almost, Lord Justice Moses, hearing the appeal against sentence of 10 people who blockaded trains taking delegates to the DSEI arms fair in London stated that every one of them had given considerable public voluntary service to the community.

EDO-MBM suffered major disruption for the third time in three months when activists completely blocakaded all entrances to Brighton’s bomb factory. The workers began arriving at around 6am. By 7.30 there were over 100 workers with their cars outside the factory. They were met by protesters who used megaphones to make the workers listen to details of the carnage that their weapons wrought in Gaza, Lebanon and Iraq.

Lockheed Martin, incorporated in the US and the largest arms manufacturer in the world, is currently developing new nuclear Weapons of Mass Destruction. It is uncharacteristically shy about its UK Headquarters at Manning House, 22 Carlisle Place SW1. Maybe it does not want to attract the attention of the International Atomic Energy Authority? Iran is currently the focus of attention of the IAEA for enriching uranium to a level suitable for nuclear power production.

Ten demonstrators given Asbos after peaceful protests against an arms fair have won their appeal against sentence. The group admitted in May a charge of obstructing an engine or carriage using a railway at a London station in 2005. Quashing the orders at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, Lord Justice Moses said they were not justified.

The march was blocked from proceeding to the Town Hall to hand in a petition. The police proceeded to shove people back onto the pavements (so as to assure our own safety?). A stand off developed untill Cllr Keith Taylor came out and meet the crowd and pledged Green Party support for the campaign. After he agreed to take our petition to the council, it was off to the pub complte with our own police escort in tow.

GREEN Party Euro-MP Caroline Lucas joined a demonstration outside the Brighton factory of arms manufacturer EDO MBM on Wednesday. Dr Lucas took part in the weekly protest organized by SmashEDO, a local peace group campaigning for the factory to stop manufacturing weapons components or leave Brighton and Hove, a UN Peace Messenger City.

Trustees of a Pentagon funded think tank, the Institute for Defence Analysis (IDA), have concluded that their own President, the disgraced former EDO Corporation director, Admiral Dennis C. Blair, was acting in 'conflict of interest' when he oversaw the writing of a report for the US government that led to the extension of the multi billion dollar F22 Raptor production programme, which financially benefitted contractor EDO Corp, and his own shares in the company.The trustees of IDA have now forced Blair to resign his position as President of the institute.

On the fifth anniversary of 9/11, arms firm EDO Corp, who had till this year profited more from the 'war on terror' than nearly any other company in the US, are now regulars on the Forbes Beltway Index 'worst performing' stock list. Once again this week, EDO hit the bottom of the list in the Forbes Magazine monthly overview of US equity performance.

The South West England represents one of the world’s most significant aerospace and defence related clusters”. (SW Regional Development Agency). We are a group of residents who are angry that our local area plays such a significant part in an industry which profits from death, destruction and war mongering, and which ultimately sustains a system which benefits the few over the many. We have conducted some research on a select number of arms companies based in the Bristol area, which we hope will be used by likeminded activists.

BAe Systems are the largest 'defence' company in Europe, supplying aeroplanes and military equipment to countries all over the world, including the US and Israel. Today the BAe factory at Brough was targeted by a few local campaigners, a Rhythms of Resistance samba band and activists from the Camp Against Climate Change.

With so much negative news lately, of various EDO Corporation director’s corruption scandals, the unrelenting pressure on EDO MBM by protesters in the UK, and on top of this a 25% decline of the arms company’s market value on Wall Street since the loss of a pivotal UK High Court civil suit in the spring, it would be reasonable to assume that the man who takes the biggest salary in the company, might if he’s determined not to resign, at least see see fit to take a pay cut.

However, an annual report published today, by two long established US economic research groups, the Institute for Policy Studies, and United for a Fair Economy, has named EDO Corporation’s CEO and President James M. Smith, as number ‘9’ in the ‘war on terror’ profiteers greed list.

The trial begins in Bristol next week for Margaret Jones and Paul Milling, who are charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage to military equipment at RAF Fairford in March 2003. They used hammers and bolt cutters to disable several dozen vehicles used to fuel and load cluster bombs onto US B52 bombers at the base during the initial invasion of Iraq

Also: Blockade of the Foreign Office, and Smash EDO rooftop protest

Sussex Police have learnt that an anti war protest may take place in Brighton on Saturday 16th September 2006. It is a requirement of Section 11 of the Public Order Act 1986 that organisers of assemblies or processions should give notice to Police. No such notification has been received. The purpose of such notification is to allow sufficient time for Police to plan such events safely and if such notification is not received Sussex Police will conduct investigations and if necessary seek to prosecute organisers. If such notice is not received Sussex Police may on the day need to invoke Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act which prescribes routes and assembly areas.

Protesters are currently occupying the roof of an arms manufacturer who supply weapons to the Israeli army used in the bombing of Gaza and Lebanon. In the early hours of Wednesday morning (today) protesters climbed 40 feet onto the roof of EDO MBM on Home Farm Road, Brighton . Activists aim to draw attention to the production of weaponry used in war crimes.

Two anti-war campaigners have staged a demonstration on the roof of a Sussex armaments manufacturer. The pair used a ladder to climb 40ft onto the roof of EDO MBM Defence Systems, in Home Farm Road, Brighton. The protest by the Smash EDO campaign was the latest in its continuing action against the company over its role in Israel's bombing of targets in Lebanon.

On our way out of Bristol, we stopped off to support the picket at Raytheon’s offices opposite UWE. The turnout was good, considering menacing weather. The previous week the cops had been a bit over-excited - threatening arrests for wearing skull masks or displaying pictures of civilian atrocities in Lebanon. But this time they remembered their manners and the approach of Halloween, and stayed in their riot transit out of the wind.

After an hour on the picket, we piled back into the mini-bus, having picked up a couple more supporters. We set off for RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire where nice Mr Blair has been allowing the Yanks to refuel their planes, which are gunrunning Raytheon’s missiles to Israel. We parked near the end of the runway to endure the spectacle of VC-10s doing landing practice, and mysterious transporters planes taking off.

Saudi Arabia has confirmed it is to buy 72 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft from the UK, in a deal that could be worth more than £6bn. The contract, brokered between the Saudi government and the Ministry of Defence, will safeguard thousands of jobs at UK defence firm BAE Systems.

Yay!

Let's have a quick recap of human rights issues in Saudi Arabia

Yesterday at 8am around thirty people gathered at the roundabout on Coldharbour Lane, Frenchay, opposite the main entrances to both UWE and Bristol Business Park. They were there because the Bristol Business Park is home to offices belonging to RAYTHEON, one of the biggest arms manufacturers in the world.

On August 9th, Nagasaki Day, 11 civilian weapons inspectors drove up Empire Grade Road and marched the last 1/2 mile to the gates of Lockheed Martin where the public road ends. The Santa Cruz Weapons Inspection Team (SCWIT) led the march marking the annihilation and devastation delivered to the people, animals and plants of Nagasaki, Japan, targeted on August 9th, 1945, by nuclear bombs far less powerful than the ones Lockheed Martin presently manufactures. The nonviolent action included the delivery of a letter from the people of Santa Cruz to Tom and Chip of Lockheed Martin suggesting they produce peaceful technologies instead of weapons like the Trident II (D5), Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM) armed with nuclear warheads. Paper flowers with messages to Lockheed were attached to the fence, a "peace bush" was planted and anti-nuclear songs were sung outside the gates of Lockheed Martin, the world's largest weapons contractor.

RAYTHEON Systems Inc is a multinational arms producer that has a quiet little office in the Bristol Business park at Frenchay. It is also heavily engaged in supplying the Israeli airforce with its munitions (including cluster bombs) to target civilians in Lebanon and Gaza.

Todays Washington Post reports that EDO have been implicated in high level corruption in the US. On the day EDO are expected to report disappointing 2nd quarter results (although it could hardly be as bad as their 1st Quarter, could it?) the imploding bomb manufacturers who tried and failed to abuse the legal process in the UK, by attempting to ban the freedom to protest in Brighton, are now alleged to have been closely involved in an 'independent study' that recommended to the US government further investment development of the F22 Raptor fighter project.

Britain has been used as a staging post for major shipments of bunker-busting bombs from America to Israel. The Israelis want the 5,000lb smart bombs to attack the bunkers being used by Hizbollah leaders in Lebanon.

Farnborough International Airshow held it bi-annual arms fair which was open to the public this weekend. All of the big players were there; lockheed Martin, the Marvin Group, Raytheon...etc. Amazingly this fun day out was targeted at children. Courtesy of Rolls Royce (who make parts for fighter bombers) KIDS GO FREE. (see disturbing image below). The entire event seemed to take place in another world, a world away from Gaza, Lebanon and Iraq where missiles are advertised as ‘combat proven’ (apparently being dropped on a Baghdad marketplace counts as combat to these people). The reality that the wars fought by the axis of evil (US, UK, Israel) are fought in densely populated urban areas, and the smarter the weapons, the higher the civilian death toll (see Iraq Body Count).

Israel’s military attack against Lebanon is the latest in an endless series of aggressive wars the country has waged against its Arab and Persian neighbours. This time it means missile attacks on Beirut suburbs killing hundreds and the destruction of Lebanon’s ability to function economically. Ports blockaded, the international airport blown up, bombing of water and electricity facilities, bridges, medical supplies and targets picked solely for their proximity to the Syrian border. And of, course the real misery, as with all aggressive wars, is felt by the ordinary people, with hundreds of Lebanese civilians killed and half a million displaced from their homes to avoid Israeli missile strikes.

Plus: Crap Arrest of the Week, EDO blockaded, and de Menezes' killers not prosecuted.

A Forbes website report has put the boot into troubled warmongers EDO Corp. as they are named NYSE official losers of the year due to a distasterous loss of high court case against anti-war protesters in Brighton. EDO wre once listed by Forbes as one of the fasted growing companies in America. Not any more.

The individual complaints against Sussex police cover the unlawful attempted eviction of a Peace Camp outside the EDO MBM arms factory in August 2005, the use of Public Order Act powers on scores of occasions to arrest protesters and stop demonstrations throughout 2005, the arrest and imprisonment of a protester for allegedly breaching a high court civil injunction, and harassment of peaceful protesters. The complaints come after EDO MBM’s attempt to obtain a blanket injunction against all known or unknown protesters dramatically collapsed in March this year.

BAE Systems Plc, Europe's No. 1 arms maker, would likely be the main beneficiary of a U.K. decision to build a new fleet of Trident-missile launching submarines, a program that may cost as much as 25 billion pounds ($45 billion).
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The British government is investing 350 million pounds annually through 2008 at the Atomic Weapons Establishment to ensure the effectiveness of its stockpile of nuclear warheads, benefiting a venture of Serco Group Plc, Lockheed and British Nuclear Fuels Plc. Under current test-ban treaties, Britain can't detonate an atomic weapon to check if it works.

Every year the MoD take over the car park at Helensburgh with a celebration of the war machine and the culture of war. Tours of war ships along with fake battles with marines dropping from helicopters and Paratroopers dropping from planes above are what the MoD want people to watch for a good time. Peace groups in the area protest every year at this complete waste of money and the brainwashing of children that takes place. Children are painted with war paint and allowed to play with military equipment. They are never shown the real horrors of war. Children in Iraq have little about the military to celebrate.

Following a disasterous UK court surrender to peace activists in April and reports of first quarter loss of millions due to related legal costs, EDO Corp today traded at their lowest price in the last year ($25.24) Nervous markets concerned about a possible interest rate rise and news of planned US withdrawal from Iraq have led to lack of interest in the beseiged arms company that has heavily invested in ongoing military operations in Iraq.

Students of the Nottingham Student Peace Movement have decided to hold a die-in on Tuesday 9th May, outside the Hallward Library, in protest against the University's lack of progress in switching its investments to funds that are ethically managed. We are hoping to tie this issue into the ongoing campaigns against the commodification of education and in solidarity with the AUT. It seems outrageous that the University is willing to invest in arms but not their staff. It is equally unpalatable that, whilst the University profits from the sale of arms, students must pay large sums of money to get an education.

The attempt by arms manufacturers EDO MBM to restrict protest outside their Brighton factory has ended in expensive failure. Their attempt to secure a no-protest exclusion zone with an injunction under the Protection from Harassment Act has ended in unconditional surrender after a year-long High Court battle. The case is estimated to have cost the company upwards of £1 million and this week US parent company EDO Corp announced 2.7 million dollars losses this year and citing losses from legal actions as a contributing factor. EDO MBM will pay the protesters costs, expected to be tens of thousands of pounds.

The latest legal bill (at least $900,000 and counting ) has come from EDO’s UK subsidiary EDO MBM Technology Ltd in Brighton who have failed in a High Court bid to ban anti-war protests outside their factory and been forced to pay their own and defendants costs and expenses after a humilating surrender and a High Court judgement that ruled they had abused the legal process. This was a highly damaging political and financial loss that also led to national bad publicity for the company in the UK press, and a domino effect of collapsing criminal cases against protesters who could have raised questions

From wednesday the 19th to friday the 21st, several protests and direct actions took place in Amsterdam, opposing the military fair 'Marelec'. Marelec was not only a military fair, but was also a place for companies producing sonar technology, which kills whales and dolphins. Spearhead Exhibitions is organising most of the world's arm fairs, like ITEC, DSEi, Marelec, etc. The owner of Spearhead is Reed Exhibitions. Therefor we need to step up actions against Spearhead and Reed.

The injunction originally related to 12 people alleged to have taken part in a "concerted campaign" of harassment against EDO MBM Technology in Brighton. The firm settled with 10 of the protesters last month, but the remaining two refused the agreement. Mr Justice Walker removed the interim injunction which remained in force on them, accusing EDO of "woeful neglect" in its preparations towards obtaining a permanent injunction.

On Thursday 23rd March 2006 a High Court Judge handed down a damning judgement against an arms company. He struck out an interim injunction against remaining defendants in the controversial harassment injunction case brought against anti-war protesters in Brighton by arms manufacturers EDO MBM Technology Ltd. The case has been continuing in the High Court for nearly a year without reaching a full trial despite a court order that a speedy trial should be prepared for because of ‘human rights implications’. ‘The blame for loss of the trial date in my view undoubtedly lies with the claimants’ says Judge Walker.

Today the CPS in Brighton dropped yet another controversial criminal case against an anti-arms trade protester in Brighton. A legal observer who was arrested for using a video camera at a demonstration outside EDO MBM in June last year in an alleged breach of the harassment act injunction then in force, has had all charges against him dropped . In February EDO dropped their interim injunction against all protesters after a long legal battle by protesters in the High Court.

The numbers opposing the occupation now are even larger, with fewer people believing what the government says but, sadly, fewer people believing they have any power to make a difference. If the millions marching on a single day around the world did not stop them, the thinking goes, what can I do? Yesterday, March 18th, thousands of people marched in London. The police, who always underestimate, claimed around 15,000. The organizers, who always overestimate, asserted 100,000. Though the marches are the most visible face of the anti-war movement in the United Kingdom, they are not its sole focus. As I said to Ahmed, they were our bombers. They were made by arms manufacturers in our towns. Companies in our cities are still gobbling up the financial spoils of war and occupation. If the millions marching on a single day around the world did not stop them, the thinking goes, what can I do?

Charges against eight activists (charged with a range of public order offences) were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service yesterday afternoon (THURS 10th Mar). The eight were arrested on May 31st during a demonstration outside Brighton arms dealers EDO MBM. Three, including a solicitor, were charged with ‘assault PC’, which regularly carries a prison sentence. The others, including an eighty-year-old man were charged with resist/obstruct PC and obstruction of the highway. The CPS explained that prosecution ‘was not in the public interest’.

Two new SchMOVIES are available to download free. Covering the recents demos at EDO/MBM since the injunction has come down and the anti-TESCO site at Shepton Mallet. You can download the new SchMOVIES from http://schnews.org.uk/schmovies

The new 2005 DVD collection is out now. Details on the web site. Buy it and help keep SchNEWS free. No, really. We are struggling.

Arms trade. Government sweeteners. Tax havens. Dodgy corporations making a killing. Directors paying themselves a packet. Ridiculous company names. Welcome to Neo Labour’s first full blown privatisation.

Plus, Fairford Five, Peace Tax Seven, and Milton Keynes in Najaf

Students at the University of Manchester have voted in favour of a corporate ethics motion in their Student Union, demanding university divestment from BAE and other arms companies. The almost unanimous vote by more than 300 students follows a series of recent protests against the university’s shares in the arms trade.

On Monday of 5th Week – University Council were due to receive a paper from OUSU and the SRI Campaign – calling for them to engage genuinely with Socially Responsible Investment – and to look to take Oxford money out of the Arms Trade. They have known about this paper since at least November 2005. On Friday - they decided they didn’t want to see the paper. They decided not to listen to the thousands of students who have put their names behind the calls of the SRI Campaign. Over 80 students turned up to protest against this action by the University - handing a copy of the pulled paper to University Council members entering the building.

On Monday 13th February 2006 the High Court will be the scene of a long overdue victory for Brighton anti-war protesters as hearings resume of the controversial EDO harassment injunction case (EDO MBM Technology Ltd v. Axworthy, and ors.) EDO will make major concessions to try and extricate themselves from a long and hard fought legal battle over the right to protest on the streets of Brighton.

Brighton arms manufacturer EDO MBM have dropped their claim to a blanket anti-protestor injunction under the Protection from Harassment Act, in an out of court settlement on Friday 3rd February. The decision is expected to be finalised in the High Court on Monday 13th. This means that the controversial high court interim injunction restricting the right to protest outside the factory will no longer apply. EDO MBM have also agreed to pay the costs of those defendants who have settled, estimated at £200 000.

The future of the injunction proceedings against named protesters will be decided on Monday 13th - 15th February at the Royal Courts of Justice when EDO’s lawyer Timothy Lawson Cruttenden will face allegations of professional misconduct for illegally obtaining evidence and disobeying a court order to reveal correspondence between himself, EDO MBM and the police.

Another blow struck for free speech in Sussex. The nasty little stitch up between Sussex Police, arms dealers EDO MBM and protest bashing lawyer Timothy Lawson Cruttenden (see SchNEWS 492, 471) to crush dissent has started to unravel. EDO MBM, who manufacture parts for the Paveway bomb system and are involved in the manufacture of unmanned combat air vehicles, much loved by the US and Israeli militaries for targeted assassinations, are now ducking for cover as the legal bombshells go off in their own faces.

Campaigners today welcomed the Church of England’s overwhelming vote in favour of divesting its £2.2 million shares from bulldozer manufacturer Caterpillar. The vote, supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, sends a clear message to Caterpillar that profiting from human rights violations is not compatible with socially responsible business practice.

A criminal prosecution against peace protesters was dramatically dropped yesterday because the Crown Prosecution Sevice did not want to to disclose secret information that a Judge had ordered would assist the defence and they should see.
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In paralel civil injunction proceedings brought by bomb makers EDO in the High Court, protesters have argued that the injunction action is the result of collusion between Sussex Police and EDO to stop protests at the factory. A key witness in the Civil proceedings is Chief Inspector Kerry Cox, who worked closely with EDO last year to support the High Court application for an interim injunction against protesters. It emerged this week that CO Cox had been the commanding officer in Operation Kirk.

Stuart Jordan, of Cambridge Campaign Against the Arms Trade, and Irene Willis, from South Essex CAAT, were in court on 23rd Jan. charged with "unlawful demonstration" for their role opposing the Dsei arms fair in September last year. The police were at pains to state throughout the trial the significant size of the demonstration and how intimidating they found the "banners, dancing and bicycles" (!) The police were frustrated because they had set up a "pen" where they had decided protest was allowed to take place and some protesters had chosen to go elsewhere.

News that David Jones - EDO MBM's Mr Burns-a-like managing director – had resigned spread up and down the picket line on January 18th's Drums not Bombs demo. Bomb-builder Davey Jones – who handed his notice in on December 31st ( ..and a Happy New Year!) - has been coy about his reasons for going and EDO have made no public statement.
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As the managing director, Jones was responsible for the disastrous strategy of taking out an injunction against protesters – and in fact the injunction was taken out in his name not the company's! But not only has the injunction totally failed to prevent protests outside the factory but it's swelled numbers and brought the campaign a lot of national and untold local press coverage.

Oxfam, Amnesty International and People and Planet groups from around Yorkshire held a stall today to protest the arms fair. It's part of their aim to get a million photos of people in a visual pettition.

I write in connection with your request for information dated 13 December concerning policing costs and numbers for a recent protest about EDO. The request was contained in your email addressed to Supt Moore raising other issues which I understand have been replied to separately.

Your request for information has now been considered and I am not obliged to supply the information you have requested on costs and numbers under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.