Protesters target weapons factory (From The Argus)

Protesters target weapons factory

10:12am Thursday 20th March 2008 in

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Eight anti-war protesters locked and superglued themselves to the entrances of a weapons factory today in opposition to the Iraq conflict on its fifth anniversary.

Four demonstrators used arm tubes and a further four used bicycle locks to attach themselves to the entrances of EDO MBM Defence Systems in Home Farm Road, Brighton, East Sussex, at 6.30am.

One of the protesters, Tom Hayes, 29, said: "This is part of an ongoing campaign by us to ask people who work at the factory what has come out of five years of invasion and occupation in Iraq.

"It certainly hasn't benefited the people of Iraq, who will have been left completely traumatised by five years of conflict. It is just the oil companies and factories like this one which have really profited."

EDO designs, develops and manufactures weapon carriage and release systems and is an approved supplier to the Ministry of Defence and governments worldwide.

The campaigners, from Brighton-based Smash EDO, claim the company's products mean it has played a crucial part in acts of aggression by coalition forces in the Middle East.

Smash EDO spokesman Andrew Beckett said: "Our message is that EDO MBM were complicit in war crimes committed in Iraq through the manufacture of vital components used in aerial bombardments.

"The police are on the scene and they have confiscated cameras, apparently to gather evidence of crimes committed. We are hopefully going to be here for the long haul to disrupt the factory for the whole day."

The anti-EDO campaign, which includes local residents, Quakers, peace activists and human rights groups, started in 2004 with a peace camp and since then regular demonstrations have been staged at the factory.

No-one from EDO MBM was available for comment.

A Sussex Police spokesman confirmed officers were at the scene in a monitoring presence.