EDO DECOMMISSIONERS
On the 17th January 2009, as the bombs rained down on Gaza, Six people entered the EDO factory. They threw computers and filing cabinets out of a first floor window and took hammers to machinery used for weapons production. Their aim was to disable the war machine and to take action against those who profit from the aerial bombardment of Gaza.
During January 2009 the Israeli army launched an attack on the civilian population of Gaza. Over 1400 people were killed including over 300 children. Schools and hospitas were targeted.
It is widely accepted that Israel committed war crimes against the people of Gaza. The arms companies who knowingly supplied the weapons to enable the invasion to happen are complicit in those crimes.
EDO MBM/ITT supply components to the Israeli army, including release mechanisms and bomb racks for use in fighter aircraft. They have also been involved in the design and manufacture of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which were used extensively in reconnaisance and bombing missions against civilians.
The six people who took part in the action are on trial for conspiracy to commit criminal damage. They are arguing that they had lawful excuse to disarm the factory because EDO are complicit in war crimes.
The trial of the Decommissioners began on 7th June and ended on the 2nd July with all defendants being found unanimously not guilty. More details about the action, trial and verdict will follow in the coming weeks.
Prisoner Information
James Elijah Smith had been held on remand since the action. He was finally released from HMP Lewes to a crowd of supporters on 5th July 2010, 18 months later.
