WORLD'S LARGEST ARMS FAIL

AS SchNEWS PADDLES IN THE MURKY WATERS OF THE ARMS TRADE

This week London’s Excel Centre has been hosting the biennial death-fest DSEi – the world’s largest arms fair. Part funded and organised by the British government, DSEi is the place where warmongers tool up on the latest guns ‘n’ ammo. Both the weapons used by Colonel Gaddafi and those used against him are on sale at DSEi. The UK exported £33.8m of military and related products to Libya between Oct 2009 and Oct 2010.

This year the highlight of the weapons wankathon got stopped in its tracks before it even reached the fair. Six protesters in inflatable dingies launched themselves into the path of the HMS Dauntless last Saturday as it was on its way to Victoria Docks ahead of DSEI, causing it to come to an unscheduled stop in the waters near Barking, Dagenham. It finally docked some 4 hours later. Of the 6 protesters, one got away and the other 5 were briefly detained by the river police.

The Dauntless is a Type 45 Destroyer, one of the Royal Navy’s latest, most high-tech battleships, as well as one of the newest, commissioned just last year. Supposedly able to track and destroy jet fighters and other warships, it must have been embarrassing for the captain to be caught by surprise by the tiny blowup flotilla. No doubt it will now be retrofitted with anti-inflatable technology.

DSEi wouldn’t be DSEi without several days of creative non-violent protest and a massive pig-fest, and Indymedia have a timeline of the entire thing. (See http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/09/484571.html) A spontaneous die-in was held by activists from Campaign Against the Arms Trade, forcing arms dealers to walk over the restless dead to get to DSEi. One protester has been charged with aggravated trespass, and another nicked for throwing paint. Other protesters got in the way of arms dealers and corporate lobbyists on the trains to the (un)fair.

The group Stop The Arms Fair pulled off a coup after getting word that the delegates would be attending an evening reception at the National Gallery. Whilst delegates struggled to get into the gallery via the back door, around 150 protesters came face to face with the arms dealers, forcing them to run the gauntlet of the baying mob.

Although there was no single large mobilisation this year, there was a slew of actions by small, mobile and creative affinity groups that caused a headache for cops and war criminals alike. Stop the Arms Fair, a coalition of several groups including CAAT and Disarm DSEi, are already planning for 2013.

*For more dsei.org & stopthearmsfair.org.uk