- After scaling the fences of the DSEI arms fair at the ExCel Centre in London, Palestine Action activists have covered the entrance tent in blood-red-paint to remind those attending of the bloodshed caused by the products marketed inside.
- The DSEI arms fair claims to be “the world’s largest gathering of the defence and security community”, with key exhibitors such as Elbit Systems, Raytheon, BAE Systems & Lockheed Martin using the event to market their technologies and products to governments.
- Palestine Action’s disruption of the event comes after similar action taken at the site of the upcoming Liverpool arms fair at the ACC arena
- Two arrested following the action, with one individually violently taken down by private event security
Palestine Action have this afternoon covered the entrance tents of the ExCel Centre’s DSEI arms fair in blood-red paint, to remind all of those due to enter the event this week of the bloodshed and brutality committed with the products marketted inside. Red and green flares have been set off at the site of the action to further symbolise the Palestinian suffering created through Israel’s partnership with many of the firms exhibiting at the event.
The DSEI arms fair, taking place in London’s docklands, claims to be “the world’s largest gathering of the defence and security community”, with government representatives, arms manufacturers and others involved in the war-crimes-industry meeting to discuss strategy and to market their destructive and murderous products. The theme of this years event is “Integrated Response to Future Threats”, with a focus on drone warfare and surveillance technologies – which are potentially going to play a much greater role in British policing as the government enters new drone procurement and training contracts with the likes of Israel’s Elbit Systems.
The two individuals who took action at the site on Sunday 12th September have been arrested. One of these individuals was violently tackled by private security overeager to prevent anyone from highlighting the bloodshed facilitated from the firms represented at the fair. The arms fair has recently faced criticism for its role in enabling the destructive and ill fated US/UK war in Afghanistan, and this years event has faced protest and direct action from a range of organisations.
The action taken today follows similar disruption caused at the site of the upcoming Liverpool arms fair, with Palestine Action activists covering the ACC arena Liverpool in blood-red paint also. Both fairs serve a similar purpose of normalising these firms’ operations and providing an open market for the exhange of the weapons of war. Palestine Action are calling for the cancellation of both events and the ceasing of these firms’ operations on British soil, failing which direct action will continue and will escalate.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
For more information on the action or on Palestine Action please contact media@palestineaction.org
Palestine Action
Palestine Action is a direct-action network of groups and individuals formed with the mandate of taking direct action against Elbit Systems’ UK locations at grassroots level, calling for them all to be shut down and for the British government to end its complicity in Israeli apartheid.
Palestine Action take action against the Liverpool arms fair (11/09/21): https://palestineaction.org/liverpool-arms-fair/
A Palestine Action activist on why he takes action against Elbit Systems: https://tribunemag.co.uk/2021/06/why-we-took-direct-action-against-apartheid/