Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site bonnie.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!jmm From: jmm@bonnie.UUCP (Joe Mcghee) Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics Subject: British Weapons Enforce Apartheit in South Africa Message-ID: <353@bonnie.UUCP> Date: Tue, 8-Jan-85 21:37:20 EST Article-I.D.: bonnie.353 Posted: Tue Jan 8 21:37:20 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 9-Jan-85 06:15:27 EST Distribution: net Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Whippany NJ Lines: 26 Xref: watmath net.flame:7520 net.politics:6670 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An organization known as Episcopal Clergy for South Africa (ECSA) recently received hundreds of pages of information on British-made plastic and rubber bullets and the grenade launchers which fire them after reports appeared in the press concerning the use of these weapons against striking mine workers in South Africa where a six-year-old child was recently killed by government forces. Rubber and plastic bullets are currently being manufactured by Brock's Explosives Limited of Sanquhar, Dumphrieshire, Scotland. Formerly, they were manufactured by Schermuly Limited, High Post, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. Schermuly is currently selling the grenade launchers which fire these rounds as a marketing representative of the manufacturer, Webley and Scott Limited, Park Lane, Handsworth, Birmingham, England B21 8LU. Schermuly is a subsidiary of Wilkinson Sword Group in England and Allegheny International of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. These weapons are the more recent versions of wooden bullets which were first used against anti-British protesters in Hong Kong. By its use of these weapons in Northern Ireland, Britain is currently defying the ban against rubber and plastic bullets which was recently passed for a second time in the European Parliament of the Common Market nations. The British government ruled out the use of these weapons against protesters in England after a top government minister stated "someone might be killed". bonnie!jmm J. M. McGhee