“Representatives from regimes such as Saudi Arabia, who have used UK-made weapons to commit war crimes in Yemen, will be wined and dined and encouraged to buy yet more arms.”
The biannual Defence & Security Exports International (DSEI) fair is taking place on September 12 – 15 in London. The event is one of the largest arms fairs in the world. It is attended by delegates from across the globe, including from some of the most oppressive regimes. This year’s fair will see over 2,800 manufacturers display their arms.
Ahead of the event, a group of activists are launching a campaign protesting the arms trade and the manufacturers showcasing their products at the trade show. They are campaigning under a ‘Stop the Arms Fair’ (STAF) banner. STAF formed in 2011 with the aim of putting a stop to arms fairs in the UK, particularly DSEI.
Every two years, DSEI brings thousands of arms buyers from over 100 countries worldwide together to network and make deals. The high-profile event connects governments, national armed forces, industry thought leaders and the entire defence and security supply chain on a global scale. The anti-arms trade activists say DSEI is an important event for the UK state, which ‘heavily subsidises and promotes the arms industry, and helps organise the arms fair.’
Action begins on September 4 and will run for two weeks. On September 5, a Peace Pilgrimage: Oxford to ExCel walk will commence in Oxford and finish at the arms fair venue in London on September 11. There is also a Palestine Solidarity Campaign vigil taking place on September 5, and a No Faith in War Day on September 7.
Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which works for a world where conflict is resolved without the use of force, is one of the groups involved with the protest.
Emily Apple of CAAT, described the DSEI as a marketplace in “death and destruction.”
“Deals done at DSEI will cause misery across the world, causing global instability, and devastating people’s lives.
“Representatives from regimes such as Saudi Arabia, who have used UK-made weapons to commit war crimes in Yemen, will be wined and dined and encouraged to buy yet more arms,” said Apple.
The campaigner continued that arms dealers do not care about peace or security, but care about “perpetuating conflict because conflict increases profits for their shareholders.”
“Meanwhile this government has shown repeatedly that it cares more about the money made from dodgy deals with dictators than it does about the people whose lives will be ruined by the sales made at DSEI.”
CAAT is calling for the DSEI arms fair to be closed for good.
Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward
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