On Thursday 19th February, anti arms trade campaigners protested outside the office of Providence Equity, the global asset management firm that recently bought Clarion Events. They aimed to show its new owners that they will face direct action and protest until they end their involvement in the arms trade.
Clarion Events organises a number of major arms trade events, including the DSEI arms fair, which is planned to take place in London in September 2015. DSEI hosts over 1000 arms companies, and facilitates weapons sales to countries in conflict and repressive regimes. Last year The Sunday Times reported that Clarion Events had been struggling to find a buyer because of its involvement in the arms business.
Campaigners donned hi-vis jackets emblazoned with arrows pointing out Arms Trade at Work
, unfurled hazard tape and a giant arrow to draw attention to the business being conducted at the otherwise anonymous offices of Providence Equity.
Anne Marie O’Reilly of Stop The Arms Fair:
Arms fairs export the tools of death and repression around the world. Providence Equity’s new investment fuels war in pursuit of profits. We brought our protest to the offices today to put it on notice: arms fairs are not legitimate events and those who profit from them will face criticism, brand damage and disruption until they end their role in the arms trade.
Photos of the protest are available to download.
The protest is part of the wider Stop the Arms Fair campaign which this month saw campaigners gatecrash an arms dealers dinner at the London Hilton; and in December saw activists occupy the offices of Clarion’s previous owner, Veronis Suhler Stevenson. The campaign promises further disruption if the DSEI arms fair goes ahead at the ExCeL centre in September 2015.
In 2007 DSEI’s former owners Reed Elsevier finally announced it would sell DSEI after a successful public campaign forced it to admit that defence shows are no longer compatible
with its position. Clarion bought the event in 2008 and has since acquired numerous other arms trade events.
ENDS
For further information please contact Andrew at media(at)caat·org·uk or call 020 7281 0297.
