From:
Glenn Williams
Date:
Aug 21 09:28 UTC
Short link
Police arrested a protester during a peaceful demonstration outside a
Brighton-based arms manufacturer today. Over 20 people turned out to
demonstrate against the arms manufacturer in a themed 'Protest Song'
demonstration. Over 30 police were present, some carrying long nightsticks.
The police used a local by-law designed to quieten noisy traders and
buskers to seize the sound system and arrest Glenn Williams, a fifty
year old protester, during the playback of ‘The Band played Waltzing
Matilda’ a protest song about the horrors of the First World War.
Campaigners are calling on Brighton and Hove Council to step in and
restrict police use of council byelaws. Chloe Marsh said “Sussex Police
are manipulating a byelaw to hinder lawful protest. Brighton and Hove
Council never intended for this byelaw to restrict freedom of
expression. Articles 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act protect the right
to assemble and protest, these cannot be overriden by council byelaws.”
Police have used local byelaws for over a year now against anti-arms
trade protesters. Five arrests have been made under them, including
three for karaoke singing and one for playing an acoustic guitar,
equipment has been seized and a protest camp evicted.
Glenn Williams, who regularly attends protests at EDO said “I've been
bailed not to go to Home Farm Road. So I'm devastated that after going
to protests almost every week for over four years I can no longer make
my voice heard. Does Brighton Council really want to suppress free
speech so much?".
Notes for Journalists
The Company
EDO MBM Technologies Ltd are the sole UK subsidiary of huge U.S weapons
manufacturer EDO Corp.From their base in Moulescoombe Brighton, EDO MBM
manufacture vital parts for the Hellfire and Paveway weapons
systems,laserguided missilesused extensively in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine
and Somalia. EDO Corp were recently acquired by ITT in multi-billion
pound deal. ITT's links to fascism go back to the 1930s. The founder
Sosthenes Behn was the first foreign businessman received by Hitler
after his seizure of power.
The Campaign
There has been active campaign against the presence o f EDO MBM in
Brighton since the outbreak of the Iraq war.Campaigners include
students, Quakers ,Palestine solidarity activists, anti-capitalists and
academics. Despite an injunction under the protection of harassment act
(which failed) and over forty arrests the campaign is still going
strong.Their avowed aim is to expose EDO MBM and their complicity in war
crimes and to remove them from Brighton. They hold regular weekly demos
outside the Moulescoombe factory on Wednesday's between 4 and 6.
THE FILM
On the Verge is an independent film about the SMASH EDO Campaign
“In 2004 a group of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pot and
pans outside their local arms manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of their
part in the Iraq war. This has grown into the Smash EDO campaign, which
has cost the company millions, been the subject of large scale police
operations and has tested the right to protest in the UK.Using activist,
police and CCTV footage plus interviews with those involved in the
campaign, 'On The Verge' tells the story of one of the most persistent
and imaginative campaigns to emerge out of the UK's anti-war movement
and direct action scene.”
From:
Glenn Williams
Date:
Aug 21 10:28 UTC
Short link
AND THE BAND PLAYED
WALTZING MATILDA
When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said Son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli
How well I remember that terrible day
How the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well
He chased us with bullets, he rained us with shells
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia
But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then we started all over again
Now those that were left, well we tried to survive
In a mad world of blood, death and fire
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
But around me the corpses piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over tit
And when I woke up in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying
For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and near
For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me
So they collected the cripples, the wounded, the maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where my legs used to be
And thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
Then turned all their faces away
And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
And their ghosts may be heard as you pass the Billabong
Who'll come-a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Eric Bogle
http://malcolm.screensound.gov.au/olcmedia/audio/00009089.mp3
balloozles wrote:
> well im no expert but what about a silent protest? Large protest signs
> dont make any noise and dancing/gesturing/miming, waving, dont make a
> sound.and it wont matter how many people were there as long as
> everyone whispered (and didnt cause obstruction) a visual protest?
> would the law be able to stop them then?
> All they need is press coverage, not noise.
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn Williams"
> <email obscured>>
> To: "Brighton & Hove Issues Forum" <email obscured>>;
> <email obscured>>
> Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 10:22 AM
> Subject: [BH-Issues] Protester Arrested for playing Waltzing Matilda
>
>
>> Police arrested a protester during a peaceful demonstration outside a
>> Brighton-based arms manufacturer today. Over 20 people turned out to
>> demonstrate against the arms manufacturer in a themed 'Protest Song'
>> demonstration. Over 30 police were present, some carrying long
>> nightsticks.
>>
>> The police used a local by-law designed to quieten noisy traders and
>> buskers to seize the sound system and arrest Glenn Williams, a fifty
>> year old protester, during the playback of ‘The Band played Waltzing
>> Matilda’ a protest song about the horrors of the First World War.
>>
>> Campaigners are calling on Brighton and Hove Council to step in and
>> restrict police use of council byelaws. Chloe Marsh said “Sussex Police
>> are manipulating a byelaw to hinder lawful protest. Brighton and Hove
>> Council never intended for this byelaw to restrict freedom of
>> expression. Articles 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act protect the right
>> to assemble and protest, these cannot be overriden by council byelaws.”
>>
>> Police have used local byelaws for over a year now against anti-arms
>> trade protesters. Five arrests have been made under them, including
>> three for karaoke singing and one for playing an acoustic guitar,
>> equipment has been seized and a protest camp evicted.
>>
>> Glenn Williams, who regularly attends protests at EDO said “I've been
>> bailed not to go to Home Farm Road. So I'm devastated that after going
>> to protests almost every week for over four years I can no longer make
>> my voice heard. Does Brighton Council really want to suppress free
>> speech so much?".
>>
>> Notes for Journalists
>>
>> The Company
>>
>> EDO MBM Technologies Ltd are the sole UK subsidiary of huge U.S weapons
>> manufacturer EDO Corp.From their base in Moulescoombe Brighton, EDO MBM
>> manufacture vital parts for the Hellfire and Paveway weapons
>> systems,laserguided missilesused extensively in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine
>> and Somalia. EDO Corp were recently acquired by ITT in multi-billion
>> pound deal. ITT's links to fascism go back to the 1930s. The founder
>> Sosthenes Behn was the first foreign businessman received by Hitler
>> after his seizure of power.
>>
>> The Campaign
>>
>> There has been active campaign against the presence o f EDO MBM in
>> Brighton since the outbreak of the Iraq war.Campaigners include
>> students, Quakers ,Palestine solidarity activists, anti-capitalists and
>> academics. Despite an injunction under the protection of harassment act
>> (which failed) and over forty arrests the campaign is still going
>> strong.Their avowed aim is to expose EDO MBM and their complicity in war
>> crimes and to remove them from Brighton. They hold regular weekly demos
>> outside the Moulescoombe factory on Wednesday's between 4 and 6.
>>
>> THE FILM
>>
>> On the Verge is an independent film about the SMASH EDO Campaign
>>
>> “In 2004 a group of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pot and
>> pans outside their local arms manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of their
>> part in the Iraq war. This has grown into the Smash EDO campaign, which
>> has cost the company millions, been the subject of large scale police
>> operations and has tested the right to protest in the UK.Using activist,
>> police and CCTV footage plus interviews with those involved in the
>> campaign, 'On The Verge' tells the story of one of the most persistent
>> and imaginative campaigns to emerge out of the UK's anti-war movement
>> and direct action scene.”
>>
>>
>> Glenn Williams
>> Elm Grove Area, Pavilion
>> Info about Glenn Williams: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/glennwilliams
>>
>> This topic's messages may be viewed at:
>> http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/57X29u6kMfOqwltnX13YFn
>> -----------------------------------------
>> To post, send your message to: <email obscured>
>> To leave or for daily digest, type "unsubscribe" or "digest on,"
>> in subject line and send to: <email obscured>
>>
>> More info about Brighton & Hove Issues Forum:
>> http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/bh
>>
>> E-Democracy.Org rules: http://e-democracy.org/rules
>> -----------------------------------------
>> Technical assistance thanks to our friends at http://OnlineGroups.Net
>>
>
>
>
From:
jyvais VAYSSE
Date:
Aug 21 12:36 UTC
Short link
Thursday August 21th, 2pm- The information about Glenn William's arrest and the
Smash EDO Campaign has just been translated and explained in french on a Dieppe
internet site here :
http://dieppe3d.hautetfort.com/archive/2008/08/21/un-manifestant-anit-guerre-arrete-a-brighton.html
From:
Tony greenstein
Date:
Aug 21 14:24 UTC
Short link
Once again an example of how the Police selectively use laws and by-laws
against those they don't like. Have the Police ever intervened in town to
arrest commercial traders whose sound systems etc. are blaring? Doing a silent
protest would play into their hands and would be the wrong approach because the
Police's concern is not with noise but with the protest per se. They would
simply find another pretext.
It is interesting that in the assault case I have against the Police re the
Lebanon/Palestine demonstration 2 years ago, all but 1 of 7 Police witnesses
uses the EDO protests in their witness statements as some kind of benchmark
against which a demonstration can be judged!
Tony Greenstein
--- On Thu, 8/21/08, Glenn Williams <email obscured>> wrote:
From: Glenn Williams <email obscured>>
Subject: Re: [BH-Issues] Protester Arrested for playing Waltzing Matilda
To: "Brighton & Hove Issues Forum" <email obscured>>
Date: Thursday, August 21, 2008, 11:23 AM
AND THE BAND PLAYED
WALTZING MATILDA
When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the Murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my Matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said Son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli
How well I remember that terrible day
How the blood stained the sand and the water
And how in that hell that they called Suvla Bay
We were butchered like lambs at the slaughter
Johnny Turk he was ready, he primed himself well
He chased us with bullets, he rained us with shells
And in five minutes flat he'd blown us all to hell
Nearly blew us right back to Australia
But the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we stopped to bury our slain
We buried ours and the Turks buried theirs
Then we started all over again
Now those that were left, well we tried to survive
In a mad world of blood, death and fire
And for ten weary weeks I kept myself alive
But around me the corpses piled higher
Then a big Turkish shell knocked me arse over tit
And when I woke up in my hospital bed
And saw what it had done, I wished I was dead
Never knew there were worse things than dying
For no more I'll go waltzing Matilda
All around the green bush far and near
For to hump tent and pegs, a man needs two legs
No more waltzing Matilda for me
So they collected the cripples, the wounded, the maimed
And they shipped us back home to Australia
The armless, the legless, the blind, the insane
Those proud wounded heroes of Suvla
And as our ship pulled into Circular Quay
I looked at the place where my legs used to be
And thank Christ there was nobody waiting for me
To grieve and to mourn and to pity
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As they carried us down the gangway
But nobody cheered, they just stood and stared
Then turned all their faces away
And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, "What are they marching for?"
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a waltzing Matilda with me
And their ghosts may be heard as you pass the Billabong
Who'll come-a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Eric Bogle
http://malcolm.screensound.gov.au/olcmedia/audio/00009089.mp3
balloozles wrote:
> well im no expert but what about a silent protest? Large protest signs
> dont make any noise and dancing/gesturing/miming, waving, dont make a
> sound.and it wont matter how many people were there as long as
> everyone whispered (and didnt cause obstruction) a visual protest?
> would the law be able to stop them then?
> All they need is press coverage, not noise.
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Glenn Williams"
> <email obscured>>
> To: "Brighton & Hove Issues Forum"
<email obscured>>;
> <email obscured>>
> Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 10:22 AM
> Subject: [BH-Issues] Protester Arrested for playing Waltzing Matilda
>
>
>> Police arrested a protester during a peaceful demonstration outside a
>> Brighton-based arms manufacturer today. Over 20 people turned out to
>> demonstrate against the arms manufacturer in a themed 'Protest
Song'
>> demonstration. Over 30 police were present, some carrying long
>> nightsticks.
>>
>> The police used a local by-law designed to quieten noisy traders and
>> buskers to seize the sound system and arrest Glenn Williams, a fifty
>> year old protester, during the playback of The Band played Waltzing
>> Matilda a protest song about the horrors of the First World War.
>>
>> Campaigners are calling on Brighton and Hove Council to step in and
>> restrict police use of council byelaws. Chloe Marsh said Sussex
Police
>> are manipulating a byelaw to hinder lawful protest. Brighton and Hove
>> Council never intended for this byelaw to restrict freedom of
>> expression. Articles 10 and 11 of the Human Rights Act protect the
right
>> to assemble and protest, these cannot be overriden by council
byelaws.
>>
>> Police have used local byelaws for over a year now against anti-arms
>> trade protesters. Five arrests have been made under them, including
>> three for karaoke singing and one for playing an acoustic guitar,
>> equipment has been seized and a protest camp evicted.
>>
>> Glenn Williams, who regularly attends protests at EDO said I've
been
>> bailed not to go to Home Farm Road. So I'm devastated that after
going
>> to protests almost every week for over four years I can no longer make
>> my voice heard. Does Brighton Council really want to suppress free
>> speech so much?".
>>
>> Notes for Journalists
>>
>> The Company
>>
>> EDO MBM Technologies Ltd are the sole UK subsidiary of huge U.S
weapons
>> manufacturer EDO Corp.From their base in Moulescoombe Brighton, EDO
MBM
>> manufacture vital parts for the Hellfire and Paveway weapons
>> systems,laserguided missilesused extensively in Iraq, Lebanon,
Palestine
>> and Somalia. EDO Corp were recently acquired by ITT in multi-billion
>> pound deal. ITT's links to fascism go back to the 1930s. The
founder
>> Sosthenes Behn was the first foreign businessman received by Hitler
>> after his seizure of power.
>>
>> The Campaign
>>
>> There has been active campaign against the presence o f EDO MBM in
>> Brighton since the outbreak of the Iraq war.Campaigners include
>> students, Quakers ,Palestine solidarity activists, anti-capitalists
and
>> academics. Despite an injunction under the protection of harassment
act
>> (which failed) and over forty arrests the campaign is still going
>> strong.Their avowed aim is to expose EDO MBM and their complicity in
war
>> crimes and to remove them from Brighton. They hold regular weekly
demos
>> outside the Moulescoombe factory on Wednesday's between 4 and 6.
>>
>> THE FILM
>>
>> On the Verge is an independent film about the SMASH EDO Campaign
>>
>> In 2004 a group of Brighton peace campaigners began to bang pot and
>> pans outside their local arms manufacturers EDO MBM in disgust of
their
>> part in the Iraq war. This has grown into the Smash EDO campaign,
which
>> has cost the company millions, been the subject of large scale police
>> operations and has tested the right to protest in the UK.Using
activist,
>> police and CCTV footage plus interviews with those involved in the
>> campaign, 'On The Verge' tells the story of one of the most
persistent
>> and imaginative campaigns to emerge out of the UK's anti-war
movement
>> and direct action scene.
>>
>>
>> Glenn Williams
>> Elm Grove Area, Pavilion
>> Info about Glenn Williams:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/glennwilliams
>>
>> This topic's messages may be viewed at:
>> http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/57X29u6kMfOqwltnX13YFn
>> -----------------------------------------
>> To post, send your message to: <email obscured>
>> To leave or for daily digest, type "unsubscribe" or
"digest on,"
>> in subject line and send to: <email obscured>
>>
>> More info about Brighton & Hove Issues Forum:
>> http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/bh
>>
>> E-Democracy.Org rules: http://e-democracy.org/rules
>> -----------------------------------------
>> Technical assistance thanks to our friends at http://OnlineGroups.Net
>>
>
>
>
Glenn Williams
Elm Grove Area, Pavilion
Info about Glenn Williams: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/glennwilliams
This topic's messages may be viewed at:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/6rXJWrHycM9qpNUC4ynCvC
-----------------------------------------
To post, send your message to: <email obscured>
To leave or for daily digest, type "unsubscribe" or "digest
on,"
in subject line and send to: <email obscured>
More info about Brighton & Hove Issues Forum:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/bh
E-Democracy.Org rules: http://e-democracy.org/rules
-----------------------------------------
Technical assistance thanks to our friends at http://OnlineGroups.Net
From:
Helen Russell
Date:
Aug 22 15:18 UTC
Short link
Thanks for posting the words, Glenn, I (and I bet many others) had no idea what
the song was actually about, only ever hearing chaps like Rolf Harris singing
it! All power to the protest!
best redards,
From:
David Bebb
Date:
Aug 26 15:56 UTC
Short link
_Pedants' Corner
_Just to point out that the lyrics posterd by Glenn were for a song
entitled 'And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda' by Eric Bogle - NOT to
be confused with Oz's 'unofficial anthem' 'Waltzing Matilda' - written
by Banjo Patterson and covered by the likes of Rolf Harris.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzing_Matilda.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzing_Matilda>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazy_Harry>