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Recent Articles about South West PeaceBAE Systems - new drone technology with ultra res spy cameras Jan 30 13 2012... Happy Solstice one and all... Dec 21 12 Yoga for Peace Jul 22 12 Can any reader from the south west provide specific details on any of these arms manufacturers? south west |
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opinion/analysis
 Monday February 21, 2011 11:45 by Interested local resident
 Can any reader provide evidence of where any of these things are manufactured in the UK and particularly the south west? In emergency situations it is no good protesting alone. While protests most certainly have there place now is a time for solidarity and direct action to support the working classes of the world. Britain said on Friday it was revoking more than 50 arms export licences for Bahrain and Libya where security forces have cracked down on protests and several people have been killed. The revoked licences cover items such as tear gas and ammunition that could be used to suppress demonstrations. A day after announcing a review of arms export licences to Bahrain, Britain's coalition government said it had "taken a decision to revoke 24 individual licences and 20 open licences" for the Gulf state. Individual licences authorize a single arms sale while open licences cover multiple sales to a range of destinations. The government also revoked eight individual licences for Libya. A review of export licences to the wider region, including Yemen, was continuing, it said. Bahraini security forces fired on protesters on Friday, wounding more than 60, as crackdowns on pro-democracy unrest buffeting the Middle East and North Africa turned increasingly violent. A day earlier, police killed four protesters and wounded more than 230 in Bahrain's capital Manama. In Libya, soldiers fought to suppress disturbances in the country's second city Benghazi. U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said at least 24 protesters were killed there on Wednesday and Thursday. As some will know EDO Brighton supply Israel. Do any companies in the south west or South Wales provide weapons of oppression to Bahrain,Libya, Yemen, or any other countries in the Middle East and North Africa? |
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4The sale of British "anti-riot" machine guns, assault rifles and other weapons to to oppressive regimes in the Middle east and Africa must be stopped, human rights groups said today.
Government figures show that in the last 12 months Britain sold millions of pounds of arms to Bahrain and Libya, whose regimes are involved in the brutal suppression of democratic protests.
The British government has approved the sale of tear gas and crowd control ammunition to Bahrain within the last nine months.
The sales were actively promoted by the UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation.
Equipment approved for export to Bahrain in 2010 included tear gas and crowd control ammunition, assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles and sub-machine guns.
Equipment approved for export to Libya included crowd control ammunition, small arms ammunition and tear gas.
Sadly this is not a recent development. Britain has been one of the worlds biggest arms dealers for years - something which has been fully backed by the trades union movement for years. The trades unions have always seen foreigners as expendable when it comes to promoting sales of weaponry and torture equipment to dodgy dictatorships.
Well the missle manufactures down the road at Claverham have the explosive part fitted in Portsmouth when arming the Eglish navy.
Shame no one can come up with more.
In the meantime at least they're on it in another indymedia area:
Middle East dictatorships armed by H&K
http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/981
Sample piece:
Across the Middle East and North Africa, people have risen up to try to overthrow their undemocratic governments, and these uprisings have been met with state-sponsored violence and repression. Now Notts Anti-Militarism can reveal that several of these repressive regimes have been armed by a company with an international sales office in Nottingham: Heckler & Koch.
BAE Systems manufacture tear gas and sell it in the middle east, however I am certain it is one of their American companies that does this.
MBDA ( manufacture missiles ) were negotiating with Libya in 2009 to sell a range of
missiles etc ( to use from planes). MBDA are located in Filton and carry out development work there.
See bristolagainstarmstrade.wordpress.com military map for details
We need researchers with our group. I cannot keep up with the mass of data and change in world circumstances.