Direct action

UK: Protesters block roads leading to international arms fair in London

The Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) protested outside the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEi) arms fair in London on Sunday. Protesters managed to block roads leading to the event, which is frequented by over 1,300 arms companies from around the world and takes place every two years. Some of the protesters also waved banners, danced, and pitched up tents.

Protests have been galvanised by controversial arms deals involving BAE systems. Stop the War Coalition, Britain's largest anti-war movement, released a statement this year condemning the British government for exporting arms and military equipment totalling around £12 billion to countries deemed controversial by Human Rights organisations, such as Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The CAAT seeks to end the arms trade, particularly in areas where arms may "exacerbate conflict, support aggression, or support an oppressive regime."