EDO Corporation: Difference between revisions

On 21 September 2006, protesters blockaded the EDO MBM factory in Brighton for several hours forcing the Managing Director Paul Hills to scale a security fence to enter the premises. He then used an angle grinder or wire cutters to cut a hole in the EDO's fence to let the employees in to work. The protesters left the scene without being arrested.<ref>{{cite web|last=Acford |first=Louise |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/933667.campaigners_get_stuck_in_at_arms_protest/ |title=Campaigners get stuck in at arms protest |publisher=[[The Argus (Brighton)]] |date=September 22, 2006 |access-date=July 29, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/09/351317.html |title=Arms Dealers forced to Break in to their own Factory |publisher=UK Indymedia |date=September 21, 2006 |access-date=July 29, 2014}}</ref> On 16 September 2006, 100 protesters marched through Brighton to deliver a petition calling for the closure of EDO MBM to Brighton Town Hall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/display.var.925031.0.police_hold_line_against_peace_marchers.php|title=Police hold line against peace marchers|website=The Argus|date=18 September 2006 |access-date=15 October 2018}}</ref> On 23 August 2006 two protesters climbed 40 feet onto the roof of EDO MBM Technology Ltd to unfurl a banner protesting the company's supply of weapons to Israel used in the [[Qana]] bombing in which 16 Lebanese children were killed.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/5278062.stm | work=BBC News | title=Roof-top protest at arms factory | date=2006-08-23 | access-date=2010-04-30}}</ref> On 19 July 2006 protesters staged a 'Horrors of War' demonstration outside the Brighton factory recreating scenes of violence and mutilation that result from aerial bombardment.<ref>[http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2006/7/20/212906.html Shock tactics in weapons factory protest<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929111253/http://archive.theargus.co.uk/2006/7/20/212906.html |date=2007-09-29 }}</ref> On the morning of 17 July 2006, three activists completely blockaded EDO's [[Brighton]], United Kingdom subsidiary EDO MBM Technology Ltd in protest at EDO's supply of weapons technology to the Israeli military being used to attack [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]] and in the then ongoing [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/southern_counties/5187726.stm | work=BBC News | title=Factory protest at Israel bombing | date=2006-07-17 | access-date=2010-04-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/07/345246.html|title=Brighton Arms Dealers Blockaded Now - You Can Support the Blockaders - UK Indymedia|website=www.indymedia.org.uk|access-date=15 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Tyler |first1=Jerry |title=Tornado Cash |url=https://tornado.community |access-date=29 March 2024}}</ref> These are just  a few actions in an ongoing campaign of protest, civil disobedience and non-violent direct action against EDO in Brighton that began in 2004 and has come to be known as the Smash EDO campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smashedo.org.uk|title=Smashedo - Begin!|website=Smashedo|access-date=15 October 2018}}</ref>