OUTSIDE were 150 protesters shouting "Suharto, Major, CIA: how many kids have you killed today?" Inside were twenty token shareholders making life hell for the BAe board.
Shareholders at the 1994 BAe AGM raised a series of contentious questions about the sale of BAe Hawk aircraft to Indonesia and their use in East Timor against the civilian opposition and the armed resistance.
Supporters of Campaign Against Arms Trade continually pushed the BAe board about the recently agreed sales of Hawk aircraft and the human rights record.
Each of the 500 shareholders and the BAe board were handed an Alternative Report to the company Annual Report.
The Alternative Report pointed to the United Nations and European Union condemnation of the Indonesian invasion and genocide in East Timor and called on the BAe board to concentrate on converting the Socialist company from military to civilian production.
According to The Guardian the AGM was in uproar over the series of questions about the genocide in East Timor.
The Independent pointed out that the shareholder action came as a complete surprise to the BAe board. The Daily Telegraph carried information and a picture about the action in its business pages and also a supportive article about the East Timorese resistance in its foreign news pages.
Assailed on all sides by hostile shareholders, Chief Executive Dick Evans, agreed to a meeting with campaigners discuss the evidence of the Hawks being used in East TiClearly there is a long way to go but BAe now know that they cannot get away with hiding behind the UK government arms trade policy. They now know that campaigners from many different organisations are on their tail and are not prepared give up until the delivery of the Hawks due in 1996 is stopped and there is a full military embargo on Indonesia.
The campaign is taking off internationally.
April 24 saw the launching of a continent-wide campaign for an arms embargo on Indonesia in Antwerp by the European Network Against The Arms Trade. In Sweden, Germany and Ireland campaigns are developing to support the East Timorese struggle for Dick Spring, the Irish Foreign Minister, has spoken out about the Indonesian occupation of East Timor.
During a recent visit to Jakarta by New Zealand Premier Bolger, 51 of the N.Z. legislature's 99 MPs signed a petition on East Timor protesting against Indonesian genocide in East Timor.
In the UK things, too, things are beginning to move.The recent Fire Brigades Union conference passed a motion committing the union to supporting the campaign for East Jeremy Corbyn MP denounces 'General Pinochet' at dynamic, 150-strong picket of British Aerospace AGM Timorese self-determination and calling for a military embargo on Indonesia.
The FBU is contacting its Australian counter-part and intends to take the issue through the labour movement in Britain. A HUGE DEMONSTRATION against unemployment will resents the culmination of five separate marches from the principal regions of France organised at the initiachomage (AC!) movement. on April 6th, and marchers have met with an enthusiastic resatisty social needs, as well as a moratorium on all dismissals and the recognition of organisations of the unemployed. official figures; trade union estimates are over 5 million As some one once said: 'A great beginning.' Jakarta can see the solidarity movement in its rear view mirror, let's make sure the murdering bastards don't get off the hook. 35hrs take place in Paris on May 28th. The demonstration reptive of trades unionists and representatives of associations of the unemployed in the Agir ensemble contre le The first march set off from Carmaux in the south of France ception across the country. AC! argues for the adoption of a 35 hour week without loss of puchasing power and job creation to France currently has 3.5 million unemployed according to