Since 2001, EDO/ITT’s products have been used to attack civilian populations in Afghanistan, Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia and Pakistan. ITT, EDO’s parent company, has a track record of clients that includes the Nazis, Franco and the Pinochet regime. ITT continue to lobby Western governments to pursue military action in order to boost their profit margin. EDO/ITT may be only one cog in the global war machine but shutting them down will throw a spanner in the works.

Since 2004 Brightonians and thousands of supporters from around the world have demonstrated their rage at the factory through a variety of methods. Weekly noise demos, pickets, blockades, rooftop occupations, lobbying, street theatre, mass demonstrations and sabotage have all been used to pile pressure on EDO to leave. Despite being subject to a successful civilian decommissioning during Israel’s 2009 brutal assault on Gaza, the factory somehow clings on.

The summer of 2012 is the time for you to come and take action! We want you, your mates or your affinity group to come to the factory and express your outrage as creatively as you like. We welcome a diversity of tactics and no action is to big or too small. We will provide accommodation, support and advice wherever necessary.

How to get involved:

1.Talk to your mates/your group and think of ideas for action
2.Pick a date in the summer months of 2012
3. Email/call the campaign
07538093930 e-mail: smashedo@riseup.net

 

Summer of Resistance Callout for Actions

Smash EDO are half way through a Summer of Resistance against EDO/ITT  Exelis. The aim of the summer is to intensify the pressure on the weapons  factory, with as many actions as possible taking place between the 1st of May and the 1st of August. The more groups that take part the more effective it will be, so we need your help!

CALLOUT FOR ACTIONS:

So far, there have been things happening at or around the factory almost every day since the start of the summer campaign. Examples include surprise demos, reading of the names of the dead, a mass demo in town, phone and twitter blockades, pickets and occupations of Barclays, critical mass bike rides and reported night time sabotage at the factory.

This is a renewed call for groups to come and take action against EDO. With less than half of the summer to go, let’s see some actions!

If you or your affinity group want help with an action or need any advice, get in touch with the campaign via email:  smashedo@riseup.net or phone: 07538093930. The camping is here to provided legal and practical support for anyone wanting to take action. There is a pamphlet with information about the summer of resistance available for download here:
 http://smashedo.org.uk/content/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/PamphletFin2.0.pdf

Surprise Noise Demos – Noise demos outside the factory take place
every Wednesday between four and six, but sometimes it can be fun to turn
up at unexpected times.

Street Theatre – If you are artistic you might want to take a bit of street
theatre to the gates of EDO. In the past there have been performances of the
history of ITT as well as improvisation pieces with dozens of demonstrators
starring as previous EDO security guru Mark Lynch (with varying degrees
of success…)

Themed Noise Demos – Noise demos are often better if they are themed
and noisy. A theme to a demo can also make it easier to highlight a
particular issue, such as war and migration, drones, or Palestine. An
original theme can be a good way of involving people who might not
otherwise have thought of coming. Some of the more memorable noise demos
have been on a theme, such as the yearly Halloween demos or a demo
featuring rather grim karaoke. ACTIONS AWAY FROM THE FACTORY

Target Barclays (and/or Other ITT Investors) – Barclays are the market
maker on the stock exchange for EDO’s parent company ITT Exelis. They
are also the bank with the most investments in the arms trade generally.
During the last few years there has been a campaign called Target Barclays
which aims to stop Barclays from providing this service for ITT Exelis.
There have been demos and actions across the country during this time.
We would like to intensify actions against Barclays for the Summer Of
Resistance. As Barclays are also the bank with the most significant
investments in Israel, other Palestine solidarity groups are beginning to
act on this. Actions against Barclays can take place anywhere across the
country, before and during the summer. If you carry out a demo or an
action where you are, do let us know! The Smash EDO May Day demo in 2009
focused on investors in ITT.

Phone Blockades – Why not call EDO/ITT or tweet @ITTExelis with any
questions you might have about their business? Their phone number is
01273 810500.
Delivery Companies – There have been sporadic actions against delivery
companies which provide services to EDO. One of the main delivery companies
we believe to be working with EDO is DHL.

Security companies -The Security company currently protecting EDO are
Kingdom Security. There have been several actions against EDO’s previous
security companies in the past. Kingdom is based in London, Newcastle and Manchester. For locations see:  http://www.kingdomsecurity.co.uk/contact-us.html

 

EDO MBM in Brighton developing new generation of micro weapons for US assasinations

In May 2012 John Eaton, a director of the EDO MBM factory in Brighton, spoke on behalf of the company at an arms conference in Washington on work being done in Brighton to develop bomb release units with a footprint “the size of a dollar bill”.{1} In his abstract for the talk Eaton contends “flexible responses require new approaches to the delivery of small non traditional weapons from non traditional airframes involved in the kill chain.”[2]

ITT Exelis is already supplying components for the MQ9 Reaper (Predator B)drone, used by both the US and the UK in Afghanistan.[3]

In marketing its products in the US EDO is profiting from the covert and illegal war being fought by the US army and CIA using unmanned aircraft armed with miniature weapons in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

Operations in Pakistan alone have killed at least 800 civilians, including 175 children.[4]

The US’ assassination policy is illegal under international law. The UK charity Reprieve, who are currently involved in a legal challenge against British involvement in US assassinations said “Evidence suggests that drone strikes in Pakistan are being carried out in violation of international humanitarian law, because the individuals who are being targeted are not directly participating in hostilities and/or because the force used is neither necessary nor proportionate.”[5]

Chloe Marsh, of Smash EDO said “This is just one example of the weapons being manufactured at the EDO factory being used in war crimes and is exactly why we have called for a citizen’s weapons inspection of the factory on July 16th.”

“We have been attempting to force EDO to be transparent about what it manufactures in Moulsecoomb for over eight years”

Andrew Beckett, commenting on a statement condemning the demonstration by Mike Weatherley MP, said “I think its shameful that the Brighton and Hove Conservative Party is defending a private company that is manufacturing weapons to be used in war crimes.”

“Mike Weatherley has again attempted to cloud the issue by linking the demonstration to the Olympic torch ceremony. In fact the ceremony is taking place in Hove whereas the EDO factory is in Moulsecoomb. The Conservatives are, again, trying to draw attention from the real issue, EDO MBM’s complicity in war crimes.”

[1] The presentation is available at http://www.indymedia.org.uk/media/2012/06//497549.pdf

[2] http://www.ndia.org/meetings/2610/Pages/default.aspx

[3] http://www.spacewar.com/reports/EDO_To_Develop_Weapon_Release_System_For_Predator_UAS.html

[4] Numbers of confirmed civilian deaths in Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drones/

[5] http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/2012_03_12_UK_drones_legal_challenge/

 

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