As the zionist press angrily whip up media smoke screen around the real meanings of the decommissioners acquittals Corporate Watch take an in-depth look at the trial…

On January 17th 2009 six people broke into EDO MBM/ITT in Brighton and caused £189 000 worth of damage to computers, servers, lathes and other equipment. The activists, calling themselves the ‘decommissioners’, took their action in response to the Israeli assault on Gaza which had claimed 1400 lives by the 17th. EDO MBM/ITT manufactures the arming unit for the Israeli F16 bombrack.
The six were arrested, along with three people alleged to have supported the action. All nine were charged with conspiracy to cause criminal damage. At a month long trial at Hove Crown Court seven of the activists argued that they had a lawful excuse to damage EDO’s property as the company was complicit in war crimes. All seven were acquitted on July 2nd 2010 after the jury gave five unanimous not guilty verdicts and the judge directed that the final two should be acquitted. One activist had been found with no case to answer earlier in the trial due to lack of evidence.

Decommission Accomplished

The decommissioning of EDO MBM/ITT completely closed the factory for several days, until the main Israeli assault on Gaza was over. Paul Hills, MBM’s stony faced MD, gave evidence that some of the factory’s production machinery was out of action for up to a month. US contract information shows that ITT was negotiating the sale of further arming units at the time of the action but that the contract fell through.
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Judge from EDO Decommissioners case now under investigation

A senior judge is under investigation after being accused of making anti-Semitic remarks in court. Judge George Bathurst-Norman is said by right wing critics to have persuaded a jury to clear a group of campaigners who smashed up a factory making parts for Israeli warplanes.

Read what The Daily Mail have to say on the matter.

Criticising Israeli War Crimes Is Not A Crime

After the historic victory of the EDO Decommissioners, the judge in the case, Judge George Bathurst-Norman, has become subject of a concerted campaign of smears and defamation by a number of right-wing columnists, the Zionist Federation, and the Board of Deputies of British Jews on grounds that his summary of the evidence was ‘anti-semitic’. The Office of Judicial Complaints (OJC) has as a result opened an investigation into Judge Bathurst Normans handling of the case. Although we don’t normally find ourselves defending judges, we find the charge of anti-semitism a grossly cynical attempt to undermine the significance of these acquittals of pro-Palestinian activists on evidence of Israeli war crimes that was for the most part agreed by the Crown Prosecution Service. There is nothing anti-semitic in putting agreed evidence of Israeli war crimes to a jury. You can express your concern about this investigation by sending an email to the Office Judicial Complaints, marking your email ‘Bathurst Norman’. customer@ojc.gsi.gov.uk
A full transcript of the Judges summary of the evidence has been published by the Jewish Chronicle here.

The EDO Decommissioners have all walked free after unanimous acquittals following the three week trial which concluded on Friday (2nd July) at Hove Crown Court. What began as a trial of the Decommissioners effectively ended up with the Brighton arms manufacturer, and the war crimes of the Israeli state, in the dock. Is it all over for EDO/ITT in Brighton? It might be now…
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Elijah James Smith was finally freed from Lewes prison on Wednesday 7th July. All of the decommissioners had been found unanimously not guilty last Friday, but James still had to apply for bail and is now tied to strict bail conditions, including not visiting Brighton.

James has spent over 18 months on remand for preventing war crimes, he has endured more than most could even imagine and his commitment to peace and the end to the immoral trade in arms is impressive to say the least.

James said “Thanks to everyone for your support and especially those who wrote letters, responding to them helped me pass the time.”

Meanwhile, the campaign continues weapon components used in war crimes around the world are still being made in Brighton, and unless we push for the closure of EDO/ITT they will continue to be. Although the not guilty verdict is a victory, it is not THE victory. “We will be here until EDO isn’t” For upto date information on the campaign keep an eye on www.smashedo.org.uk

Acquitted for Decommissioning Israeli Weapon Components During the Israeli Bombing of Gaza  – Written by Ciaron O’Reilly

I remember first hearing the good news of the anti-war activists decomissioning the EDO arms factory in Brighton, England. It was the 3rd. week of the relentless Israeli blitzkrieg of Gaza in January 17th. ’09. More than 2,300 air-strikes were to devastate Gaza during this three week attack, as civilians had no where to flee or take shelter. The Israelis bombed 3,354 houses, 280 schools, Gaza’s only flour mill, the chicken farm that provided 10% of the eggs in the beseiged enclave, the sewage plant, wells that provided drinking water. The massacre promised to continue without serious opposition until the U.S. Presdiential inaugaration later that month. The Israeli government unleashed Operation Cast Lead shortly afer Christmas Day killing over 1400 Palestinians Read the rest of this entry »

View these SchMOVIES of the trial: The opening day of the trial – http://schnews.clearerchannel.org/snippet-decoms-day-one.flv * The day of the first verdicts – http://schnews.clearerchannel.org/special-report.flv