LONDON, (PIC)– Hundreds gathered in Brighton, south of London, on Monday to protest the presence of EDO, an arms firm that develops weapons parts used in the Israeli war on Gaza last year.
Police responded with force, and scuffles outside the EDO/ITT weapons factory on Home Farm Road which led to several injuries. In Brighton city centre, protestors were kettled by police for up to an hour, and several arrests were made, including one medic.
The Smash EDO campaign has been calling for the closure of the Brighton-based arms manufacturer for seven years, and claims EDO/ITT corp. is complicit in war crimes.
Chloe Marsh, press spokesperson for Smash EDO said “The Remember Gaza demonstration will be a chance to show our disgust at EDO/ITT’s complicity in Israel’s attacks on the besieged population of Gaza. Thousands of people in Brighton took to the streets in protest during the massacre in January 2009. The fact that in the same town, a company is equipping the Israeli military to commit these atrocities is an outrage”.
Demonstrators also staged a sit-in before the BBC offices in the city protesting its bias in favor of Israel while covering the war on Gaza.