Protesters gathered outside the Sydney office of the Australian arms manufacturer EOS (Electro Optic Systems) on February 21 to oppose the sale of high-tech military equipment to Saudi Arabia, which is waging a genocidal war against the people of Yemen.
They carried placards reading 鈥淪top the arms trade鈥 and 鈥淓OS is providing weapons to human rights abuser, Saudi Arabia鈥.
The ABC reported on February 20 that the Australian government is providing tens of millions of dollars to support EOS, which is exporting 500 remote weapons systems (RWS) to the Saudi Ministry of the Interior. Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has also consistently lobbied the Saudi government on behalf of Australian defence companies, including EOS.
The company鈥檚 RWS is a remotely-operated vehicle-mounted platform that holds cannons, machine guns and missile launchers.
Greens leader Senator Richard Di Natale queried a Defence Department official during a Senate estimates hearing that day as to whether there was any guarantee Australian weapons systems would not end up being used as part of the Saudi regime鈥檚 bloody war against Yemen.