London Campaign Against Arms Trade (London CAAT) members will be indulging their artistic side at the International Fine Art & Antiques Fair this Saturday. The fair is organised by Clarion Events, who own the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair, a biennial event that takes place in east London at the ExCeL Centre.
London CAAT will produce art work that highlights Clarion’s involvement in the arms trade and says that this is not OK. Most of the public attending will not know of the link between the fair and the arms trade, and London CAAT will be raising their awareness of this issue.
London CAAT member Rhiannon Rees said:
Clarion Events paint an ugly picture with their continued promotion of arms fairs and lack of concern for the victims of this heinous trade. This picture is particularly hideous after the violence against the civilians of Libya and Bahrain.
London CAAT will be at the fair from 1pm till 3pm on Saturday 11 June and it takes place at the Olympia conference centre.
East London Against the Arms Fair (ELAAF) continue to hold regular musical protests at the venue of the arms fair and their next one is on Saturday 30 July.
The Stop the Arms Fair Coalition have organised a day of workshops on Sunday 12 June from 10.30am till 5pm in order to plan for a day of action against the arms fair on 13 September.
For further information contact CAAT’s Media Co-ordinator on 07990 673232 or 020 7281 0297 or media(at)caat·org·uk. Photos of the protest will be available.
Notes
- London CAAT was established in late 2006 to peacefully protest against local elements of the arms trade. They have targeted a number of Clarion Events since they purchased the DSEI arms fair.
- ELAAF was established when the DSEI arms fair came to ExCeL in 2001 and regularly hold musical protests asking for the cancellation of the fair.
- Defence and Security Equipment International (formerly Defence Systems and Equipment International), or DSEI, is one of the world’s biggest arms fairs and has been held in the ExCeL centre in East London’s Docklands since 1999. The most recent DSEI arms fair took place in September 2009 – the next is scheduled for 13-16 September 2011. DSEI receives major financial, logistical and political support from the UK government, most notably through UK Trade & Investment Defence & Security Organisation. Columbia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were invited to DSEI 2009, the same year they appeared on the list of countries of concern in the Foreign Office’s annual report on Human Rights.
- Clarion Events brought DSEI and two other arms fair in May 2008. They have since brought a number of other arms fairs and have joined the ADS, the trade organisation for the aerospace, defence and security industries. Further information on arms fairs is on CAAT website. Clarion Events also run a wide range of events such as the Baby Show and the Spirit of Summer Fair.
ENDS
