COPEX fighting fund appeal

For the first time in its almost 60-year history, Peace News is being sued for libel. The case is being brought by COPEX, the Covert & Operational Procurement Exhibition.

COPEX organises exhibitions, usually in Britain or the USA, with exhibitors such as:

British Aerospace's Royal Ordnance division, recently revealed as prepared to sell electro-shock equipment
Hiatt's of Birmingham, noted for their jumbo handcuffs which can easily be converted into leg cuffs
Conjay Ltd, which supplies a range of equipment from Israeli military industries to repressive regimes around the world
International Commercial Services, which specialises in selling off surplus Soviet-bloc weaponry

The exhibition visitors include representatives of a number of states noted for their policies of internal repression: Algeria, China, Colombia, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and Turkey.

COPEX advertises itself as the leading exhibition for police and security forces interested in counter-insurgency and low-intensity operations. It guarantees visitors that it is a private exhibition.

As far as we are concerned, this whole area of business is of concern to our readers and to all those working for social justice. COPEX is not one of those arms fairs specialising in mass destruction, where militarists look for more bangs for their bucks. Rather it exhibits surveillance and riot control equipment, and the kind of weaponry and other items that repressive regimes need to consolidate their power.

Far from apologising to COPEX, we aim to use this libel case to cast more light on the world of covert operations.

COPEX has instructed Edward Garnier QC MP to act as their barrister. Because Peace News is a limited company, we don't have the option of defending ourselves but have to instruct lawyers to do it. And that costs money, money we can only get by appealing to people who support our stand.

If you think that covert operations need to be brought into the open, please give generously.