Spirit of Summer fair - Blood bath
A report on London Campaign Against Arms Trade action at the DSEI owner’s Spirit of Summer Fair.
London Campaign Against Arms Trade (London CAAT) members brought their own blood bath to the Spirit of Summer Fair to protest about the Clarion Events involvement in the DSEI arms fair. The blood bath was a paddling pool filled with bloody water and ducks representing some of the arms companies that frequent the arms fair. Animal lovers will be pleased to know that the ducks were plastic.
The security guards at Olympia asked us to remove the tiny pool as it represented a “trip hazard”, which we thought was a bit rich considering the harm caused by the weapons that DSEI exhibits and sells. The pool stayed where it was and attracted the attention of a number of passers-by.
One exhibitor at the fair said they would not be having a stall at the next fair and that they would be writing to Clarion Events to express their distaste at their involvement in the arms trade. A journalist from a German TV channel was also present as she was doing a report on the European arms trade.
London CAAT will continue to keep the pressure on Clarion in the months leading up to September’s arms fair. In the near future, there will be a regular vigil outside the Clarion offices in Hatton Garden (hopefully on the second Wednesday of every month). We also hope to have a presence at Clarion Events “Fine Art and Antiques” fair in June.
On a wider level, the Stop the Arms Fair coalition is holding a day of workshops, plotting and scheming for an end to DSEI arms fair on June 12 at Friends Meeting House in Euston. Please get in touch if you want more info on any of these events.
