Supporters from Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) turned out in force to shame arms giant BAE Systems at its Annual General Meeting AGM) in Farnborough. The campaigners accused the company of supporting repressive regimes through arms sales and unethical business practices. Forensic questioning combined with high farce during the two hour meeting which provided a welcome for the new BAE Chair, Sir Roger Carr, who described his first AGM as memorable
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Protesters ridiculed Carr’s claims that BAE works for peace at home and abroad.
A large contingent of security staff evicted eight people who expressed scorn and anger at the way the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ian King repeatedly evaded answering questions put to them about BAE’s policies and practices.
Andrew Smith, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Arms Trade, said:
We were there to challenge BAE’s weapons sales which boost human rights abusing regimes like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The idea that arms companies like BAE can promote peace through arming dictators is simply delusional and ridiculous.
Questions focused on BAE’s weapons sales to and relationship with authoritarian governments, including Bahrain, Libya and Saudi Arabia. There was particular focus on Saudi Arabia, the largest customer for UK weaponry, where BAE has sold fighter jets, including the Eurofighter Typhoon, Tactica armoured personnel vehicles and missiles.
Andrew continued
From the way Carr spoke it was as if the third biggest arms company in the world is a mere bystander in conflict rather than a company that actively fuels conflict. BAE can’t simply abdicate responsibility for the consequences when it arms dictators such as Gaddafi and brutal regimes like the Saudi and Bahraini monarchies.
Carr also said that BAE Systems supports the Arms Trade Treaty which he does not expect to make any difference to how BAE does its business.
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For further information or if you would like photos or footage from the AGM please contact CAAT at media(at)caat·org·uk or call 020 7281 0297.
