HOME | IMC UK | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

SouthCoast Indymedia

Warmonger Bomb Makers Fear Attacks After Raytheon Protest

X | 13.08.2006 22:41 | Lebanon War 2006 | Analysis | South Coast

and so they bloody should.

Firm fears attack over Israeli bomb link
MARK MCLAUGHLIN AND MURDO MACLEOD

A SCOTTISH electronics factory producing guidance systems for "bunker-busting" bombs used by the Israelis in Lebanon has upped its security amid fears that its workers are at risk of being attacked by protesters.

Raytheon Systems Ltd in Glenrothes, which manufactures the GPS-aided navigation system for the Paveway guided bombs, has been in talks with police following a series of wrecking sprees at similar factories around the UK.

The bombs, which are produced in the United States and sold to Israel, have been used in attacks on Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

In one operation, two of the 2,350lb bombs were dropped on the hideout of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. He escaped, but most of the surrounding buildings were destroyed.

Last week, Raytheon's Northern Ireland office, in Derry, was raided by protesters who destroyed thousands of pounds worth of computer equipment and threw files out of windows.

Police arrested nine activists who had broken in, despite the Northern Irish plant having little involvement with the weapons. Raytheon Northern Ireland produces mostly commercial air traffic control and radar systems.

Brighton firm EDO MBM, which produces the release mechanisms for Paveway, has also been the target for protests.

Scotland last month took centre stage in demonstrations over the UK's involvement in Israel's offensive when Prestwick Airport was used as a refuelling stop for US-charter planes carrying munitions to Tel Aviv.

Management at the Glenrothes facility, which manufactures the GPS system that helps the bombs find their target, have been working with Fife Police to ensure similar protests do not disrupt work at the plant.

A Raytheon spokesman said: "We cannot discuss specific security arrangements at any of our sites, but the safety of our staff is of the utmost priority.

"The Glenrothes plant does not produce the weapons on site. It produces electronic components that are then shipped off to our plants in the United States where they are assembled and then sold on to our customers in the Department of Defence (DoD).

"Raytheon has no influence in the distribution of these weapons once they have been sold on, and any further decisions on where they are shipped or deployed is a matter for the US DoD."

A spokeswoman for Fife Police said: "We are aware of the troubles the company has had in other parts of the country. Raytheon has stepped up security at all of its sites in the wake of the recent problems and their own security firm is dealing with it.

"We are working with the company with regards to their security situation, along with other forces at their sites throughout the country, and we are sending police patrols to ensure the area is safe."

However, security expert Clive Fairweather, a former deputy commander of the SAS, said safeguarding staff would be a difficult task. He said: "The company can put up fences and hire a few security guards, and maybe try and bus their employees in. But there's ultimately not much they can do except rely on the local police force to protect themselves and their staff from protesters."

Central Fife Labour MSP Christine May said: "Raytheon is one Fife's biggest companies. It has been very successful in securing a range of defence contracts and it employs a great number of my constituents.

"With regards to security at the plant, Raytheon will have to respond to a range of issues and I'm sure they will do that with the safety of their staff at the forefront of their minds."

SNP foreign affairs and defence spokesman Angus Robertson reacted with concern to the news that Scottish-made munitions were being used in the Israel-Lebanon conflict.

Robertson, who previously campaigned against the use of Prestwick Airport for arms flights to Israel, said: "People throughout Scotland have been horrified that our country has been indirectly arming one of the belligerents in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

"That was true with the arms flights through Prestwick and will be reinforced by the confirmation of manufacturing of weapons systems used in bombs to attack Lebanon.

"Scotland needs an ethical foreign policy which supports defence jobs but at the same time does not involve us in disproportionate and unjustifiable attacks in the Middle East.

He added: "The only way to secure an ethical foreign policy is to have the powers of any other country and make decisions for ourselves."

This article:  http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1178112006

Last updated: 12-Aug-06 00:42 BST

X

Comments

Display the following 2 comments

  1. They are all Hizbullah now — DW
  2. raytheon workers — m

Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

-->

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

South Coast [navigation.actions2016]

South Coast [navigation.actions2015]

South Coast [navigation.actions2014]

NATO 2014

South Coast Actions 2013

G8 2013

South Coast Actions 2012

Workfare

South Coast Actions 2011

2011 Census Resistance
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Occupy Everywhere

South Coast Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

South Coast Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

South Coast Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

South Coast Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

South Coast Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

South Coast Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

South Coast Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

South Coast Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech