Smash EDO have called for three months of direct action to close down EDO MBM – From 1st May to 1st August 2012.
On Friday, this time with the sun shining a larger group brought pots, pans, a sound system and a jazz flute up to the factory to usher the workers home at the end of another week (Friday is a half day).
Activists pulled up outside the North Street branch of Barclays Bank, unfurled banners and held a picket calling for Barclays to divest from the arms trade and stop providing services to ITT Exelis, EDO MBM’s parent company.
We’re already in the second week of Smash EDO’s Summer of Resistance. We kicked off the week with a surprise demo at the factory with punk music blaring from a sound system. No sign of the Old Bill though, who seem determined to maintain a hands off approach. Paul Hills, EDO MBM’s MD seemed none too pleased.
Later in the afternoon activists held a picket and stall outside Barclays Bank on Preston Circus calling for Barclays to divest from the arms trade and to stop providing financial services to ITT, EDO’s parent company.
Pictures at https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/05/495840.html
Another day, another demo. Smash EDO held a noisy demonstration (click here to see a picture) outside the gates of EDO MBM as the workers were going home for the bank holiday weekend. The police seem to have given up on policing these impromptu demos for now.
Thats it for week one bar our picnic in the park on Sunday
next week there’s an anti arms trade Critical Mass on Wednesday at 3pm, a picket of Barclays on Saturday 12th and more – wait and see
Smash EDO have called for three months of direct action to close down EDO MBM – From 1st May to 1st August 2012.
Day three of the Summer of Resistance started bright and early with a very noisy surprise demonstration outside the factory gates. Then campaigners took to the web and to the phone lines telling EDO what they think of its dirty business and tweeting EDO MBM’s parent company. A quick look at @ITTexelis’ twitter profile shows the level of people’s anger.
Picture at https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/05/495729.html
20 people turned out today to play some bad music outside EDO. A sound system blared out Rick Astley, Phil Collins and the Osmonds while sirens blared. Campaigners created a mighty racket playing Ukuleles, Violins, harmonicas, bullhorns and cow bells.
We’ll be back soon…
Tomorrow we’re calling on people to contact EDO MBM and ITT Exelis via Twitter and telephone and tell the company what you think of its dirty business. details here.
The summer of resistance kicked off with a bang with a sixty strong Mayday demonstration outside the gates of ITT Exelis. Activists banged pots and pans, sirens blared and a sound system blared out protest songs.
Sussex Police were out in force with at least ten riot vans positioned around the factory, an Evidence Gathering Team (EGT) and officers from the London Forward Intelligence Teams (FIT). One crap arrest was made and activists are now holding a solidarity vigil outside Hollingbury police station.
We will be back at EDO tomorrow at 4pm holding a Bad Music demonstration – bring your Bassoons, clarinets,didgeridoos or whatever… And remember to play as badly as you can.
Smash EDO, the Brighton based campaign to close down arms manufacturer EDO MBM (a part of US corporation ITT Exelis), has been building up to the start of our summer campaign. The Summer of Resistance is billed to start on Tuesday 1st May with a noise demonstration at the factory.
http://smashedo.org.uk/summer-of-resistance/sor-listingBristolians kick started a summer of resistance outside the 27th International Bristol Drone Conference. The protest began at around 9 am at the corner of Baldwin street and Telephone Avenue, by midday around 80 people were making a wall of sound including a performance from a live band
We at Smash EDO would like to take this opportunity to clear a few things up and correct some of the rumours that are floating about surrounding our upcoming march on 4th June
Firstly, we have absolutely no intention of disrupting or ruining anybody’s day off and our aim is not to bring chaos and violence on to the streets of Brighton but to highlight the complicity of certain members of our community in international war-mongering