Farnborough Airshow facing protests over complicity with Israel’s genocide

On 24 July, delegates attending the Farnborough Airshow will be met with protesters from Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), Greater Rushmoor Action for Peace and East Berkshire Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Farnborough Airshow: stop the horror show

The protest, ‘Say No to the Horrorshow’, is timed with Farnborough’s military day:

Next week: Farnborough, July 24th – say no to the horrow show! The airshow returns and with it arms companies complicit in the Israeli genocide in Palestine, not least Elbit and BAE Systems, will be selling their deadly wares. pic.twitter.com/kLYlIrI6FM

— CAAT (@CAATuk) July 18, 2024

It will highlight the airshow’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza, as well as conflicts fuelled by the arms trade across the globe. Local groups are also highlighting the impact the airshow has on the local community, including forcing schools to close early.

One of the planes marketed at Farnborough Airshow is the F35 combat aircraft. Israel is currently using F35s to bombard Gaza. Since 7 October, Israel has killed 39,670 Palestinian people including over 15,000 children. Save the Children reported in June that on top of the more than 15,000 killed another 21,000 Palestinian children are missing in Gaza. And 4,000 of those are trapped under the debris.

UK industry makes 15% of every F35 in business that has been worth at least £368m to UK industry since 2016.

Companies exhibiting at Farnborough Airshow include some of the world’s worst arms dealers, including BAE Systems, Elbit Systems, Leonardo, and Lockheed Martin. All these companies are profiting from, and are complicit in, Israel’s genocide against Palestinian people.

CAAT’s media coordinator Emily Apple said:

It is obscene that Farnborough is marketing the exact same aircraft Israel is using in its genocide in Gaza. This is an aircraft that is dropping massive bombs on civilians and devastating lives. Farnborough is a horrorshow; a marketplace for death merchants to peddle their horrific wares and profit from war crimes.

Julia from Greater Rushmoor Action for Peace said:

We’re especially worried about the impact on local school children, noting that some schools need to close early because of the event. Speaking as a mum, I worry that children attending the “Pioneers of Tomorrow” day are being influenced to join the arms trade without a clear understanding of what that means.

Featured image via the Canary