12 September 2006 - Green Party Euro-MP Caroline Lucas will join a demonstration outside the Brighton factory of arms manufacturer EDO-MDM tomorrow before speaking at a public meeting organised by Sussex Action for Peace in the city.

Dr Lucas will take part in the weekly protest organized by SmashEDO, a local peace group campaigning for the factory to stop manufacturing weapons components or leave Brighton and Hove , a UN Peace Messenger City.

The South-East England MEP, who is also a member of the national council of the Campaign for nuclear Disarmament and co-founder and co-president of the European parliament’ cross-party peace initiatives group, said: “EDO-MDM make components for weapons used by the Israeli military to attack the civilian populations of Lebanon and Gaza – and for guided bombs used in Iraq.

“Violent conflict and the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Middle East is being made possible by a weapons factory in Brighton and Hove – and it beggars belief that this deadly trade is being pursued here, in a UN Peace Messenger City.

“What hope can there be of an end to the violence when these agents of death are being built in a city which has become a global symbol of peace?

“EDO-MDM must cease making bombs in Brighton and Hove – and concentrate on its non-military engineering work – in the interests of peace in the Middle East and preventing war crimes and human rights abuses at the hands of US and Israeli forces.”

Dr Lucas will be meeting demonstrators, local peace activists and Green Party councillor Keith Taylor, Brighton and Hove ’s UN Peace Messenger City envoy – and will be available for interview / photographs at 4.30pm.

A spokesperson for SmashEDO said: “ We have been campaigning for three years for EDO MBM to cease its military production. It is abominable that in a UN Peace Messenger City weapons are being supplied to rogue states like Israel who use them to commit war crimes against the civilian populations of Gaza and Lebanon.

”Smash EDO will be marching to Brighton Town Hall on Saturday 16th September to hand in a petition to calling for the council to condemn EDO MBM’s bloody business. The march leaves the level at 12 noon. ”

After the demonstration, Dr Lucas will address a public meeting organised by Sussex Action for Peace at the Royal Albion Hill, Old Steine, Brighton .

The event, which starts at 7.30pm and is entitled ‘ Time to Go: Blair out, Troops out of Iraq , Don’t attack Iran ‘ is part of a nationwide speakers tour calling on Tony Blair to resign. Chris Nineham from Stop the War will also be speaking.

“The Labour Party is in turmoil over Blair’s leadership, not least because of the crimes against humanity his administration has presided over in Iraq , Afghanistan , Lebanon and around the world,” Dr Lucas added.

“Blair – and those in his Government guilty of backing his war-mongering policies - should be forced from public office in shame and made to answer for theses crimes against international law.”

“Tens of thousands have died around the world as a direct result of this Government’s military misadventures and complicity with those of, amongst others, Israel and the US, and justice can only be served by pulling the troops of Iraq and forcing those responsible for ordering them there in the first place from Downing Street into a court where they can be tried for their actions.”

The meeting is free, open to all, and promises to a lively debate about how to make the world – and Brighton – a more peaceful place.

ENDS

Smash EDO