The 'Fiesta for Life against Death' focusing on Europe's biggest arms fair drew over a thousand people to East London on 11 September. Campaigners from a wide array of groups, including Reclaim the Streets, Earth First, Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), Wombles and Christian pressure groups, converged into a loud and colourful protest at the lavish Excel conference centre in Canning Town, one of the most deprived regions in Britain. Despite heavy policing from the onset, crowds remained bright and calm, gaining support from much of the local community on the issue of international arms trade.