Dear friend,

We hope you're having a restful break and are looking forward to the new
year. Here's our highlights from 2021:

Resistance: Stop the Arms Fair!

The DSEI arms fair saw a week of resistance in September [1], with theme
days covering borders and migration, solidarity with Afghanistan and
Palestine, demilitarising education, and culminating in the Stop the Arms
Fair day of action [2] on the first day of the fair. One of the world's
largest arms fairs, Covid fears had diminished the number of attendees at
DSEI. But it still saw a thousand exhibitors and official delegations from
nearly 50 countries, including countries on the UK Government's own "human
rights priority" list [3], of "particular concern" like Egypt, Bahrain and
Saudi Arabia. Campaigners blocked roads, hopped over the fence, made their
voices heard, and reached out to passers-by, including speaking to
delegates about the fair. Find out more in our Stop DSEI 2021 highlights
video [4].

Campaigners were not slow to respond to arms fairs in other areas, whether
with massive street marches [5] in Liverpool [6], banner drops and brass
bands in Malvern [7] or train station "greetings" and noisy demonstrations
in Farnborough [8]. Wherever there was an arms fair, there were people
telling it no, and finding novel, creative ways to do it.

In addition to our ground resistance, our student focussed Conference at
the Gates also took place online. Featuring student activists, scientists
and healthcare workers, and keynote speakers Myriam Kane [9] and Lowkey
[10], we discussed and dissected the role of the arms trade in science and
healthcare education, and how this intersects with migrant and disability
rights. There were also workshops for activists, to develop their practical
campaigning skills. You can view the panel discussion here [11]

In addition to supporting Conference at the Gates, CAAT's kind donors
helped create a "Stop the Arms Fairs" fund, to support individuals and
groups taking action against DSEI and other arms fairs. This covered the
cost of things like travel, leaflets, welfare and toilet facilities, so as
many people as possible could say no to DSEI.

Nobel Peace Prize nomination and A Portrait of Resistance

We were honoured to receive a joint nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize
with our partners, Mwatana for Human Rights [12], from Nobel Laureate the
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) [13] and Quaker Peace & Social
Witness (QPSW) [14].

AFSC and QPSW's choice of nomination is intended to highlight the suffering
of the Yemeni people, who are faced with ongoing bombardment and blockade
from the Saudi-led coalition. The nomination draws attention to our ongoing
work to stop the UK government's sales of arms to Saudi Arabia, in
particular our Judicial Review that challenges the UK government's decision
to resume arms sales to the Saudi regime for use in the war in Yemen.

In September, we partnered with acclaimed photographer Cindy Sasha to
produce 12 portraits celebrating CAAT's campaigners and honouring victims
of the ongoing war in Yemen. The portraits feature campaigners and
activists, including those of Yemeni heritage, photographed in places of
significance to their work, whether it be outside BAE systems - the UK's
biggest arms company and hoarders of approximately £17.5 billion in
revenue from services and sales to Saudi Arabia since 2015 - or inside
their own homes, spaces that, during a global pandemic, have also become
our offices as well as places of respite and safety. The works also feature
memorialisation of victims of the ongoing war in Yemen, by name.

As well as the 12 portraits, the project also features a short film
produced by writer, producer and community organiser, Siana Bangura of
Campaign Against Arms Trade and edited by Midlands-based artist, Chloe
Deakin. The short film, 'A Portrait of Resistance': Campaigning Against the
Arms Trade, can be viewed here [15]

Research: Exposing the Arms Trade

CAAT's research team produced three reports this year, all made possible
through the support of generous donors. In "Business As Usual [16]", CAAT's
Sam Perlo-Freeman investigated whether the flow of arms sales stops once
conflict breaks out in a region (in fact, arms sales typically go up where
there are established links).

In "Made in Scotland [17]", CAAT Scotland researchers investigated the
links between conflicts and the Scottish arms industry, showing how
government grants from Scottish Enterprise have supported this deadly
trade, and the effect Scottish-made weapons have had around the world..

In "Open? The UK's secret arms sales [18]", CAAT investigated the
Governments flawed and secretive export licensing scheme, revealing that
arms trading with Saudi Arabia has been as three times the previously
published figures, during the war in Yemen. Find out more about arms
companies, exports, political links via the data browsers and links on our
Resources page [19].

In the news

CAAT appeared in hundreds of media articles in 2021

High profile coverage included the news that actual arms sales to Saudi
Arabia were three times the level the UK Government has previously admitted
to [20] (Independent); CAAT revealing that the UK had sold £17bn of
weapons to countries that abuse human rights [21] (Guardian); London Mayor
Sadiq Khan telling organisers of DSEI arms fair to cancel and never come
back [22],

Our research showed that thousands of UK supplied weapons had gone missing
in Afghanistan [23]. We discovered that the Scottish Government had
thousands of meetings [24] with arms companies over the ten years to 2022.

We also helped uncover that private flights had been leaving Wharton [25],
carrying arms shipments to Saudi Arabia.

Wherever arms dealers want to hide their activities, we will research the
truth, then work to expose it.

Local Groups

CAAT has more than a dozen active local groups and networks and works with
many more local peace, environmental and social justice groups.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, they have been protesting, hosting
events and creating new media to get the word out. This included working
with others to say no to arms fairs, make the case for demilitarisation at
COP26, saying no to drones at Lossiemouth and Waddington.

London CAAT also produced two high quality documentary films, in solidarity
with those struggling to overcome the effects of militarism.

In 'The UK Is Not Innocent [26]': London CAAT BLM Virtual Tour of UK
Companies Arming Repression, they showed the links between UK arms
companies and the policing of the Black Lives Matter.

In 10 Years of winter since the Arab Spring [27] - the uprisings,
aftermaths & what we had to do with it all, they show the aftermath of the
Arab Spring uprisings (content note: discusses human rights abuses). You
may like to watch the launch event [28] where invited experts discuss this
brilliant film and its content.

Bringing the government back to court

In April 2021 CAAT was granted permission for its legal challenge against
the UK government's decision to renew arms sales for use in the war in
Yemen to proceed to the High Court. The hearing is expected to be held in
summer 2022.

This follows our initial Court of Appeal win in 2019, which meant hundreds
of millions of pounds worth of arms sales were put on hold after the
government was forced to suspend issuing new licences while reviewing all
pre-existing arms exports. Yet despite overwhelming evidence of violations
of International Humanitarian Law in Yemen, the government has resumed
issuing arms export licences for use in the war in Yemen.

The pressure is mounting. In February a group of 88 cross-party MPs and
Peers [29] called on the government to stop arms sales in Saudi Arabia.
2022 will see CAAT back in court. Our action will continue until we stop
these sales once and for all.

#StopArmingIsrael

Following the horrendos bombardment of the Gaza Strip in May, in solidarity
with Palestinian civil society, CAAT continued to support activists across
the UK calling for the government to impose an immediate two-way arms
embargo on Israel. A group of 77 cross-party MPs signed EDM 138 [30] which
called for an investigation to determine whether UK-made arms and
components have been used in the violence and for a suspension of UK arms
sales to Israel.

It Starts Here 2021

Our It Starts Here conference returned for another year, this time revamped
and online. ISH 2021 was an ambitious programme of interconnected talks,
Think-Ins, and workshops. Defeating the global arms trade is not a
single-issue struggle. From the US, to the UK, to Saudi, Israel, Yemen,
Bahrain, Palestine, and Nigeria, our speakers and contributors will help us
connect the dots. How is Militarism underpinned by other injustices? And
what can we learn from each other's experiences, analysis, campaigning
tactics and methods of resistance? These questions, and more, were
discussed over a weekend of events, with talks discussing the intersecting
issues of the arms trade, how we can demilitarise education, and how art is
used as resistance. You can watch recordings of the panels from ISH 2021
here [11].

A final note

Despite scaling back [31] some of our work in 2021, we have remained at the
forefront of the fight against the arms trade. Our events, research, and
campaigns would not be possible without your support. If you have the means
to do so, please consider donating to us here [32] so we can continue with
our vital work.

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