How can we confront the weapons manufacturers in our local communities?

bristol | community | news report Wednesday March 19, 2008 23:42 by D Lock & A Grannie - ACPO

SmashEDO from Brighton have some ideas & experience to share!

Bristolians and other supporters of peace & justice often look at murderous, vicious, illegal (sic) wars around the world, and ask, how can we help stop these crimes against humanity? We may have written to the PM, or our local MP, gone on local and national anti-war marches, yet found our opinions ignored and the wars continuing.

STOP PRESS – British state attempting to ban a film of the SmashEDO campaign wherever it pops up. Not embarrassed are they?
Harassment in Southamptom -
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/03/394301.html
Harassment in Brighton - http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/03/394286.html?c=on...ments
Harassment in Bath – see this newswire.
Don’t let the authoritarian state dictate to you, see this film!

Sometimes it helps to think a little outside the box, to consider why the wars are fought, by who, for what, and with what weapons, and where do these things / beneficiaries / participants come from, and what can we do about them? That can make it all a little more real than the horrific images from a country far far away. Wars tend to be fought by armies sent by leaders and politicians who live in real places. Armies have bases in many places. They fight with weapons and other equipment, that’s made by companies that have factories and offices in real places. With a bit of research, as simple sometimes as using a phonebook or local knowledge, you can find out where they are. In Bristol we know there are a number of companies, some located in north Bristol, who participate in various ways in some of the current wars the UK government is supporting and involved in. Then what do we do?

In Brighton in 2004, a number of peace campaigners opposed to the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the genocide against Palestinian people, became aware that a company with local premises was involved in the production of weapons used in those places. They decided to do something about it. They did not accept that a business based in their community was making a fortune out of providing the parts for weapons that were indiscriminately killing thousands of men, women and children. The SmashEDO campaign (http://www.smashedo.org.uk/) was born, a campaign against local arms manufacturer EDO MBM Technology Ltd (Brighton location here http://www.smashedo.org.uk/findthem.htm).

EDO MBM (see http://www.mbmtech.co.uk/) are a wholly owned subsidiary of the US based multinational EDO Corp, that in December 2007 merged with the ITT Corp to form a top-ten US defense supplier (see http://www.defense.itt.com/). We’re talking serious death and destruction now, and even more $billions profit. But our interest here is in the local campaign, which is having some impact where it hurts, in their pockets – see ‘EDO MBM credit limit reduced to zero’ at http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/03/394277.html

The beauty of the SmashEDO campaign is its day to day reality, and its ability to focus locally on a component part of the military-industrial complex that pursues wars, be they for power, resource control, or just plain profit. When the object of your disgust is quite literally at the end of your street, or a short bus or bike ride away, then its easy for everybody to get involved (see http://www.smashedo.org.uk/aboutus.htm). From outraged OAP’s shocked at the deaths visited on foreign kids the same age as their grandchildren, to mums and dads whose own kids are facing the bullets & bombs (weapons manufacturers sell to anyone remember!), to younger militants & social rebels not averse to some night-time property rearrangement. And the opportunities for involvement are endless – anyone can write a letter, make a call, send an email, pass on a leaflet, bang a pot or pan, enjoy some outdoor karaoke, dress up for a picket, take a stroll down the street, pay someone a visit…the list is as long as your imagination. Such diversity also allows a campaign to prosper despite mass arrests, court injunctions, media bias & blackouts But hey enough of talk about the campaign – you can come and see the campaign film ‘On the verge’, chat with some of the campaigners, think about what you can do in your community – its coming to Bristol next week, March 27, from about 7pm for food & film/chat from 7.30pm. Full details here http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/688029

More info & resources: http://www.smashedo.org.uk/
Film short, poster & info: http://www.schnews.org.uk/schmovies/index-on-the-verge.htm

"Every bomb that is dropped, every bullet that is fired in the name of this War of Terror has to be made somewhere. And wherever that is, it can be resisted” - Smash EDO