Concerned people in Bath are putting together a meeting to plan the biggest possible resistance to the drone conference taking place in Bath at the end of June. People from Bristol and the surrounding area’s are more than welcome.
RESIST THE DRONES FAIR – NO DRONES IN BATH – ORGANISING MEETING – SATURDAY 2nd JUNE – Manvers street Baptist church (1 minute walk from bath Spa station) – 10.30AM-3.30PM
As you may have seen, a large military fair – focussing on military and surviellance drones – is being held in Bath Between 25th and 28th of June. We intend to resist them, and want to bring together the biggest coalition of groups and individuals to educate, agitate, organise and make sure the death dealers stay in Bath isn’t a pleasant one! Read more…
Bristol Unites Against The EDL
The English Defence League (EDL) has announced its intention to hold a March and Rally here in Bristol on July 14th.
The EDL is a violent, racist group riddled with fascists, dedicated to promoting hatred and intolerance in society. We believe that Islamophobia and bigotry against Muslims is unacceptable; as is any other form of discrimination. The EDL aims to create divisions in society by using diversity as a cause for hatred rather than celebration. The EDL is trying to create a street movement to terrorise ethnic minority communities and proggressive groups.
They have staged many provocative demonstrations across the UK over the past three years. Whenever the EDL march they bring disruption and violence. We do not want that here in Bristol. The route they are planning is through the city centre and coincides with Bristol Pride – We are: Proud – , itself a celebration of diversity. Pride is a celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
There is no place for the EDL here in Bristol’s multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-faith community.
Sir No Sir at Kebele 7.30 27th May
BAE ‘proud’ to sell arms to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
The chairman of arms giant BAE Systems has refused to rule out selling arms to the Saudi government even if the country uses them to put down peaceful protests. Dick Olver said he is “proud” to sell arms to the regimes of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Olver struggled to keep control as he answered questions at BAE’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in central London today (2 May). BAE is a multinational firm that presents itself in the UK as a “British” company. The Saudi government has long been one of its best customers.
BAE’s board were challenged by opponents of the arms trade who buy single shares to get into the AGM, by regular shareholders angry about executive pay and by workers at BAE’s Brough plant, who are facing redundancy.
Olver’s attempt to set the groups against each other failed when the Brough workers and anti-arms activists began to applaud each other’s questions.
Regular attenders at the AGM said they had never seen Olver so flustered or so little in control of the meeting. On several occasions he was accused of being rude to shareholders and patronising to the workers from Brough.
At one point, Olver shouted at South African former MP Andrew Feinstein, who urged him to give an assurance that he will co-operate fully with corruption investigations in South Africa. Olver shouted, “I’m not going to play words with you!” and refused to give the assurance.
There were jeers when Olver insisted that BAE had “a culture of responsible behaviour”. The same response greeted the company’s chief executive Ian King, who said, “The safety of our people and those using our products is critical”. Read more…
Costa Rica the first Demilitarised Nation
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US to lift veil on drone attacks in Pakistan?
Antiwar.com report that the Obama administration is struggling to decide whether to reveal the details of the ‘secret’ war in Pakistan.
In procedures for FOIA requests on “targeted lethal operations” conducted by the CIA – that is, the drone war – government lawyers asked the court to allow them more time to decide how to respond to the request for the classified information. Secrecy News:
At issue are two FOIA lawsuits brought by the New York Times and the American Civil Liberties Union. The request for an extension until May 21, 2012 was granted by Judge Colleen McMahon.
The criticism the administration faces now for stubbornly keeping the drone war secret is nothing compared to the criticism they would face if they began to declassify the programs. Simply employing state secrets privilege and stonewalling the process is too easy an out for them to start declassifying now.
That said, keeping the well-known drone war a secret is recognized for its absurdity more and more everyday. As Micah Zenko at the Council on Foreign Relations wrote yesterday, “the existence of these drone strikes is no secret, and no longer justifies the thick veil of secrecy.” He calls the borderless drone program America’s Third War and argues, “the charade of the ‘covert’ nature of the Third War is indefensible.”
Since 9/11, the United States has attempted targeted killings in four other countries [other than Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya]: approximately three hundred in Pakistan, thirty in Yemen, twenty in Somalia, and one in Syria. These attacks were primarily conducted by armed drones, but also by ship- and aircraft-launched cruise missiles, AC-130 gunships, and special operations raids. Although estimates vary, perhaps three thousand people were killed in these attacks, including suspected al-Qaeda members, local militants, and some unintended civilian victims.
Some being at least a third of the victims!
The Return Of The Drones
Following the recent Drones conference in Bristol, details have been announced for a major conference and
exhibition in Bath.
Drones are computer-guided aircraft
without onboard pilots, known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). In recent
years there has been an exponential increase in their military use in state
surveillance and bombing raids. Deployment in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle
East and North Africa has led to increased allegations of their role in
civilian casualties and extra-judicial killings.
Specialist conferences for procurement represent rich opportunities to profit from the suffering. The
Unmanned Aerial Systems Conference takes place in Bath from 25th-28th
June 2012. It will be opposed. You can check them out at: http://www.unmanned-aerial-systems.com/
