After a determined campaign by Action against Arms Trade (AaAT) Sue Ryder Care has been forced to drop BAE Systems as one of its corporate sponsors.

Sue Ryder Care only signed up BAE in 2008. At the time, Dick Olver, Chairman of BAE Systems, said: “We are pleased to welcome Sue Ryder Care as our new UK Charity Challenge partner. The partnership reinforces our commitment to giving money, time and equipment to the communities in which we work. Since we began our Charity Challenge employees fundraising scheme in 1989 BAE Systems’ employees have raised over £41 million.”

It is quite absurd that a company such as BAE which makes its money by producing equipment that kills people should pretend that it is committed to the ‘community’. At least its US wing had no problems – its website boasts that as part of its commitment to the community BAE employees helped serve meals, not to homeless people but as a ‘send-off’ before they went to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan (see picture).

AAT will shortly be announcing its next target for activists who want to adopt a more ‘hands-on’ approach to anti-arms trade campaigning.

And why not (politely, of course) let BAE’s charity co-ordinators know what you think about their antics:

Kim Phipps
Global Charity Challenge Campaign Leader (UK, Rest of the World)
Tel: +44(0) 1252 383236
Email:  kim.phipps@baesystems.com

Tracy Green
National Coordinator - Charity Challenge Australia
Tel: +61 (0)884 807 274
Email:  tracy.green@baesystems.com

Laura Nadeau
National Coordinator - Charity Challenge US
Tel: +1 (0)763 572 5919
Email:  Laura.Nadeau@baesystems.com

ActionAgainstArmsTrade (at) Googlemail.com