Protest against military aviation at Fairford Air Tattoo
16.07.2011 (Indymedia)
a weekends protest against an event that glorifies war and corporate excess and
are set to distribute tens of thousands of leaflets.
and how it negates the efforts that thousands of other responsible citizens are
making across Gloucestershire to cut their own carbon footprint.
They have also protested against the presence of the American A-10 ground attack
plane that was on display. The A-10 is designed specifically to fire depleted
uranium shells. This has resulted in thousands of deformed babies being born across
Iraq along with a massive risk in childhood cancers. A-10 have also been deployed
in Libya.
have demanded that Gloucestershire police investigate the pilots. However Gloucestershire
Police have advised that this is beyond their jurisdiction.
They have also protested against the presence of Saudi Arabia, whose Hawk Jet
display team is present. Saudi Arabia is currently violating human rights in Bahrain
and Yemen and at the show corporations are actively trying to sell more high technology
weaponry to them. Saudi Arabia also has the audacity to demand a slice of the
$100 billion fund set aside for climate change adaption, despite it lobbing against
climate change agreements and squandering its resources on air displays around
the world.
issues being raised may have put us in danger and the protection that they provided.
Kevin Lister
21.07.2011 (Indymedia)
aimed at the climate criminals and human rights abusers at the show.
the type of censorship that would normally be expected in some of the worst dictatorships.
the culpability of the military industrial complex in preventing international
climate change agreements and also to highlight the impact of depleted uranium.
was being challenged, the Tattoo management stationed army squaddies behind the
ticket inspection points to remove the leaflets from visitors in a blatant attempt
to implement the type of censorship that would normally be expected from the dictatorships
that we despise around the planet and who we frequently wage war on. Strange to
see our brave soldiers being used to implement censorship, perhaps the Air Tattoo
was taking advise from some of the visiting countries such as Saudi Arabia and
China.
more important and more wrong. Its use is a violation of the Geneva Convention
and the Environmental Modification (ENMOD) agreements and some of the most senior
politicians in the UK and USA along with some of the most senior military commanders
could find themselves subject to extended periods in prison, the costs of clean
up will bankrupt the UK and US economies, the conclusion that it leads to about
the extreme danger of low level radiation makes the safety case for nuclear power
virtually untenable with the present technological solutions and finally without
the immense military advantage of depleted uranium weapons, we would not be able
to wage war as indiscriminately as we have to secure the amounts of fossil fuel
that we need to destroy our climate.
of runaway climate change which the sponsors and corporations at this event clearly
do not want to acknowledge. Airbus for example, who have a big presence at the
show, are actively selling A380 Super Jumbos as private jets in defiance of all
the science and evidence on climate change.
event that announced a £7.2 billion sale of Typhoon fighter jets to India. Saudi
Arabia is biggest provider of funds to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan
and thus represents the biggest security threat to India. By supporting both side
of a potential conflict in this way, the Air Tattoo demonstrates the moral bankruptcy
of the arms industry and helps set the stage for massive wars in the future.
Kevin Lister
e-mail:
1. See also
including photos of babies born with severe abnormalities, some of which might
have been caused by depleted uranium].
is specifically designed to fire depleted uranium munitions.
15th July to Sunday 17th July.
all the biggest arms dealers from around the world will go one stage further
this year – it will proudly exhibit the American A-10 tank buster as one of
its star attractions at the show.
across Iraq and the Balkans. In mockery of those families whose lives have
been blighted by DU, it will be used in this year’s show for family
entertainment.
groups intend to stand in solidarity with all innocent victims of war and
will be cycling en masse to the air show in aid of the victims of DU and in
support of the ongoing campaigns to get DU banned.
are the public days where about 150,000 are expected on both days. The plan
is to stick to the well marked traffic routes and of course hope to keep to
a minimum the chaos that may be caused on the roads!
Dylan’s
Master of War on Friday evening (at a location that will be announced on the
morning of Friday 15th on the Facebooksite Fairford Air Tattoo Sponsored
Bike Ride (
workshops on the alternatives to a war based economy.
organisers at
Bikes can be hired from
pick up at Kemble Railway Station.
events legitimising the military industrial complex’s use of inhumane and
indiscriminate weapons and their rights to pollute our planet.
about the Tattoo and the very considerable concerns many of us have plus to raise
money for victims of depleted uranium – see my blog here and about the petition
here calling on the police to investigate the A10s (see more below). Well below
is the report last night on Indymedia. I have also spoken with one of the protesters
who said the event was wholly peaceful and that the police enabled the protest
in a supportive manner.
a weekends protest against an event that glorifies war and corporate excess and
are set to distribute tens of thousands of leaflets. The protests have targeted
the enormous greenhouse gas emissions from the event and how it negates the efforts
that thousands of other responsible citizens are making across Gloucestershire
to cut their own carbon footprint.
plane that was on display. The A-10 is designed specifically to fire depleted
uranium shells. This has resulted in thousands of deformed babies being born across
Iraq along with a massive risk in childhood cancers. A-10 have also been deployed
in Libya.
have demanded that Gloucestershire police investigate the pilots. However Gloucestershire
Police have advised that this is beyond their jurisdiction.
display team is present. Saudi Arabia is currently violating human rights in Bahrain
and Yemen and at the show corporations are actively trying to sell more high technology
weaponry to them. Saudi Arabia also has the audacity to demand a slice of the
$100 billion fund set aside for climate change adaption, despite it lobbing against
climate change agreements and squandering its resources on air displays around
the world.
issues being raised may have put us in danger and the protection that they provided.
Protests will continue tomorrow.
is a
the body) for uranium is about 15 days.
of depleted uranium munitions can potentially contaminate wide areas around the
impact sites leading to possible inhalation by human beings.
Multiple studies using cultured cells and laboratory rodents suggest the possibility
of
with increased risk of birth defects in offspring of persons exposed to DU.”
which is responsible for setting health research norms and standards, providing
technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends, states
that no risk of reproductive, developmental, or carcinogenic effects have been
reported in humans due to DU exposure.
long term effects of DU on human body.