Anti-arms trade campaigners need your help this weekend

An armoured vehicle


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This weekend sees action across the country to protest against the presence of arms dealers and despots in our cities. In London and Liverpool, action is already underway to resist major arms fairs.

DSEI in London and the AOC event in Liverpool will see death merchants, military leaders, and authoritarian regimes gather to peruse new weaponry and equipment. On sale will be the latest cutting-edge tools of oppression, as used in places like Yemen and occupied Palestine.

Citizens and activists have already been busy trying to stop these activities in London. As armoured vehicles were being brought into the east London venue, one brave activist clambered aboard:

Protests will be held outside the ExCel Centre until 17 September. And organisers urged people to join at the gates of the event or online.

Stop the arms fair

Declassified UK has released a short explainer video on the event:

Meanwhile, as part of the resistance, artist Darren Cullen produced a poster branding the fair the “world’s biggest bomb sale”:

AOC Liverpool

In Liverpool preparations are underway to oppose the AOC electronics arms fair. As The Canary reported recently, the event will have a range of electronic warfare and surveillance equipment on sale. And it will also be available to authoritarian regimes.

Scouse activists have organised a demo for 11 September which will feature speakers like Jeremy Corbyn, actor Maxine Peake, and political hip hop artist Lowkey.

Liverpool Against the Arms Trade published details of its rally on Twitter:

Despite activists lobbying to have the event cancelled, the ACC venue, located on Liverpool’s waterfront, has refused. As a result, the band Massive Attack has cancelled its long-planned gig in solidarity.

So whether you’re in the North or the South, you can help stop arms firms invading our cities with their deadly wares this weekend. You can visit the Campaign Against The Arms Trade website for more information on the DSEI protest or the AOC action.

Featured image via Wikimedia Commons/Gray Robson-Parker

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