Last week saw a historic mobilisation against the first day of the UK’s largest arms fair - Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI). Hundreds of protesters from over 130 campaigning groups caused mass disruption to delegates trying to enter London’s ExCel centre to make their deals in death and destruction. It is thought to have been the biggest disruption to DSEI in the past twenty years. 

Photo credit above: Rich Maskey

There was heavy police violence at the protest, and our friends at Netpol are collecting witness testimonies. On the side of the demonstration that broke off from the blockade of the West gate main entrance, protesters were violently assaulted and kettled by riot police from the Metropolitan Police’s Territorial Support Group and British Transport Police’s Operational Support Unit. Please share this call out for witness testimonies widely: CALL-OUT: did you witness police violence at the arms fair protest on 9 September? - Netpol. We hope that if you were impacted, you are recovering. 

No Faith In War and our friends the Quakers held a powerful silent demonstration in between the two blockaded entrances, bringing together a diverse range of tactics in an incredibly moving way. A couple days prior, Shut the System highlighted that activists allegedly took direct action against DSEI organiser Clarion Events, cutting cables and throwing red paint on Clarion’s London headquarters. Last week also saw delegates hiding their faces in shame as they were forced to walk by a massive “No Pride in Genocide” banner, while protesters chanted and created a solidarity space of music and dance. Independent activists also took to the water and challenged warships head-on, bringing the peace movement to the seas.

Photo credit above: Natasa Leoni 

CAAT also recently spoke about the F-35 “genocide jet” at the Gaza Tribunal, and jointly authored a statement addressing UK complicity in the Gaza genocide, as the UN Commission of Inquiry declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, following Palestinian and international human rights organisations, the International Court of Justice and the world’s leading association of genocide scholars, amongst many others. The UK government’s duplicitous arguments around Palestine must be called out as nothing other than the bureaucracy of genocide. 

CAAT also wrote to the war crimes unit at the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15), informing them of the criminal liability held by a number of individuals for atrocity crimes currently taking place in Gaza, individuals who attended DSEI last week.

None of this could have happened without your enduring support. As our government ramps up defence spending to astronomical levels, with a £75 billion increase over the next six years, the need for a strong peace movement remains more vital than ever before.

All our solidarity to everyone who takes part in this indispensable fight, from trade unionists who successfully passed a motion urging for “wages not weapons” over an increase in defence spending, to activists on the ground who can claim Elbit’s Bristol factory reportedly being shut down as a monumental victory, and everyone in between.

Please support CAAT in our continuing work to STOP the arms trade by making a donation to Keep CAAT Campaigning.

If you are in a financial position to do so, please do make a donation to support CAAT's continuing campaigning - we can't do it without your support. While any donation is a real help, choosing to make a regular monthly donation by Direct Debit has a great impact, helping us to plan ahead, knowing that funds are coming. You can use the button above to set up a Direct Debit very easily, and can stop it at any time.

Thank you for your continued support in resisting the deadly arms trade, 

Zoe and all the CAAT team