Around 30 Campaign Against Arms Trade protesters, many of them dressed as Judges in wigs and gowns, carried a 12 foot high effigy of the chairman of BAE, the world's second largest arms producer to protest outside the BAE Annual General Meeting taking place in the QEII Conference Centre, London, UK. 05/05/2010

In January the Serious Fraud Office agreed a plea bargain with BAE over the alleged bribery and corruption the company had been involved with over arms deals. CAAT decided to set up a 'People's Jury' to try them over this and other arms dealing crimes.

They began their protest outside the Victoria St offices of the government's arms sales department, and after a few short messages and handing out leaflets there, chased the giant puppet Dick Olver (Chairman of BAE Systems plc since 2004) down the street to the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre where BAE was holding its Annual General Meeting, with cries of "BAE can’t you see: corruption is your legacy".

Outside the QEII centre, the people's jury gave it's unanimous 'GUILTY' verdict. At the short trial, various people gave evidence alleging that BAE were guilty of corruption, selling weapons to oppressive regimes, perversely influecning university reseach programmes, misleading the British public over its commitment to British jobs, the undermining of South Africa's democracy, stealing from the Tanzanian people and support of the DSEi arms fair in East London.

According to CAAT the company's recent focus has been specifically on the supply of arms to the US for use in Iraq and Afghanistan. Other exports include Eurofighters to the Saudi regime, systems for Israeli fighter aircraft and sales to both India and Pakistan

Inside the BAE AGM, CAAT supporters were also asking questions about the companies activities, which Chairman Dick Olver failed to answer, brushing off charges of corruption and a call to resign, claiming that BAE could be relied upon to police themselves, despite the past evidence to the contrary.

This article, with a different set of pictures is on Demotix:
 http://www.demotix.com/news/322547/peoples-jury-against-arms-manufacturer

and more will appear shortly on My London Diary
 http://mylondondiary.co.uk