A report on a weekend of action against Clarion Events, owners of the DSEi arms fair

Protestors were outside the Baby Show at the ExCel Centre last weekend to draw attention to plans by Clarion Events, the organisers of the event, to hold one of the world’s biggest arms fairs at the ExCel in September. Supporters of ‘East London Against Arms Fairs’ and the Campaign Against Arms Trade’ handed out leaflets to inform visitors of the links between the Baby Show and the much more sinister event in September.

At the biennial arms fairs weapons are demonstrated and deals are done with governments from all over the world, including many that suppress human rights. Delegations from Algeria, Bahrain, China, Egypt, Israel, Libya and Russia have been invited to previous arms fairs. One of the protesters said: “We are seeing now from events in the Middle East and North Africa how these governments use these weapons for the violent repression of their own peoples’ human rights. We are campaigning to stop the arms fair, which brings shame on our city.”