The Quakers held a silent protest outside the UK’s largest arms fair

Quakers worshipped peacefully outside the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair at London’s ExCeL Centre on Tuesday 9 September. They were there in protest at the UK enabling war profiteers.

Quakers protest at DSEI

As people of faith stood in silent protest, arms companies inside DSEI continued to strike deals that fuel war, repression, and genocide around the world:

The DSEI fair is the largest arms fair in the UK, drawing over 1,600 weapons manufacturers and military buyers, including delegations from authoritarian regimes and conflict zones.

Despite the Labour Party government’s ban on Israeli officials attending this year’s event, it still welcomed Israeli arms companies – many directly linked to the Gaza genocide – to the event.

Protesters carried out the blockade during No Faith in War Day. This was a gathering of people from multiple faiths and moral traditions united in opposition to the UK’s role in enabling war profiteering:

Exhibitors of illegal munitions

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan reiterated his opposition to DSEI earlier this year.

He has previously highlighted that London is home to thousands of refugees who have fled the very kinds of weapons now being promoted at the fair.

Past DSEI events have included illegal leg irons, waist chains, and electric batons, as well as displays of internationally banned cluster munitions. These violations of international law have repeatedly gone unpunished.

On the eve of the arms fair, Quakers joined the ‘Merchants of Death Walk of Witness’ past the headquarters of two major arms manufacturers L3 Harris and Northrup Grumman. Both are linked to weapons Israel has used in the ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

The world’s ninth largest weapons manufacturer, L3Harris makes components that form part of multiple weapons systems the Israeli military uses in Gaza. This includes Boeing’s JDAM kits, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 warplane, Northrop Grumman’s Sa’ar 5 warships, ThyssenKrupp’s Sa’ar 6 warships, and Israel’s Merkava battle tanks.

The world’s sixth largest weapons manufacturer, Northrup Grumman supplies the Israeli Air Force with the Longbow missile delivery system for its Apache attack helicopters and laser weapon delivery systems for its fighter jets. It has also supplied the Israeli Navy with Sa’ar 5 warships, which have participated in the assault on Gaza.

Head of witness and worship for Quakers in Britain Oliver Robertson said of DSEI:

As Quakers, we worship in silence to listen for the promptings of love and truth in our hearts.

That truth is clear: making money from killing people is obscene. Weapons sold here are destroying lives in Gaza and around the world. The real crime is happening inside the arms fair, not outside it.

Quakers in Britain call for an immediate end to the arms trade and for the UK to stop enabling war profiteers.

Featured image and additional supplied