Around 150 activists, many masked, gathered in Aldgate outside the RBS, "the world's leading creditor to the arms industry" for the start of the autonomous Disarm DSEi event. Led by red-helmeted figures with blue banners held on battens which read "DISARM DSEi BOMBMAKERS MURDERING WANKERS' they set off towards London Wall, stopping outside a branch of Barclays Bank ("the largest investor in the global arms trade with £7.3 billion in shares" according to the excellently produced 'infopak' distributed to those taking part.

After a short protest there the action moved on to Legal & General at the top of Coleman St, where people stuck notices on the doors of the building, major shareholders in boththe UK and international arms industry.

Further protests took place outside the offices of Lloyds TSB ("principal banker to BAE Systems and QinetiQ " who "have given £33.3 billion in loans over the last ten years, including loans to produces of of cluster bombs and depleted uranium munitions.") and Schroders - again major investors in the UK arms industry - in Gresham St.

Approaching the BT offices the group at the front of the action made a swift charge for the revolving door and managed to force their way through and into the offices, which were occupied for a few minutes, while staff watched from the many balconies around the eight or nine floors around the atrium.

After a further stop at AXA Investment Managers ("£2,259 million worth of shares in the UK arms trade and &6,207 million investment in the international arms industry") where they pushed hard against the door which was held by two security men, and smashed some of the glass with a reinforced banner, the group came to a halt in Paternoster Square, outside the Stock Exchange.

From there I went to Victoria Street, where the Campaign Against Arms Trade was holding its own fayre outside the government department that supports the arms fair. They handed in a large white elephan covered with doves and a petition calling for an end to the support of the arms trade by the Defence and Security Organisation of UK Trade and Investment.

Dan Viesnik was resting on the pavement outside the offices as a part of his 100 hour famine at various government offices and other locations around London to highlight the death, injury and deprivation caused worldwide by the arms trade.

More pictures from these events on My London Diary:
 http://mylondondiary.co.uk/2009/09/sep.htm