Eight people charged with trespassing at the Burlington, Ontario military manufacturer L-3 Wescam during the Mother's Day weekend in May head to trial Thursday, July 27 at 1:30 pm. A ninth individual who had been arrested, but whose last name was the same as Burlington's current mayor, mysteriously had his charges dropped.

The trial comes at a particularly appropriate time, as the graphic human tragedies that result from the use of technology produced by the likes of L-3 Wescam is being broadcast around the world from Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

After over three years of attempting to hold a dialogue with L-3 Wescam representatives on transforming their business away from the production of targetting equipment for some of the world's deadliest military equipment, a group from the Mothers Day Coalition for Peace, Hamilton Action for Social Change, and Homes not Bombs had organized two days of peaceful demonstrations on company grounds, with a group of 9 refusing to leave when the building security refused to allow anyone in to initiate a dialogue on May 15.

L-3 Wescam, perhaps best known for manufacturing the targetting equipment used by the deadly unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) The Predator (used to horrific effect in Afghanistan and Iraq, and described as one of the "superstars" of the 2003 invasion), also produces equipment for the Cobra Attack Helicopter, and the militaries of such human rights violators as Egypt and Colombia. Wescam was recently involved in The Low Cost Precision Kill demonstration of the Vigilante unmanned attack helicopter.

Wescam, like its parent L-3, is very much a fear and war profiteer, seeing its major strengths as the three prongs of the so-called "war on terror": war, surveillance and interdiction (directed against refugees, immigrants, and likely used against the Six Nations blockade at Caldeonia), and violence against dissent in the name of "Homeland Security" (the L-3 2005 report proudly shows a line of heavily armed riot cops outfitted with their gizmos.)

Out of a concern for this continued growth in military production at L-3 Wescam, members of the Mothers Day Coalition for Peace, Hamilton Action for Social Change, and Homes not Bombs have repeatedly demonstrated at L-3's entrance, including a nonviolent direct action there in December, 2002.

"All we wanted was to speak to the people inside. We have been trying to get inside for the past three and a half years," explained Gail Lorimer, who has vigiled consistently at the entrance to the facility. Those arrested were Lorimer and Ed Babb of Burlington, Barney Barningham of Durham, Gary Connally and Steve MacIsaac of Brampton, and Kirsten Romaine, Maggie Panter, Matthew Behrens, and Murray Lumley of Toronto.

If you cannot attend the trial but would like to show support for dialogue on ending the production of war materiel at L-3 Wescam, send a short note calling on L-3 Wescam to end its war business and make socially useful products to John Dehne, President, Fax: (905) 633-4100, or send an email from the following site:www.wescam.com

And stay in touch! www.homesnotbombs.ca