Fly Kites Not Drones: Bristol action report

On 21 March Bristol Against Arms Trade took action to support the Fly Kites Not Drones campaign. Rowland Dye reports on their action.

We were running a family-friendly craft stall and building our own kite as part of the Fly Kites Not Drones week of action. Supporters from three Bristol groups maintained a constant presence all afternoon.

Our stall was outside Osborne Clarke Solicitors. Osbourne Clarke supply legal services to Israeli drone company Elbit Systems, whose technology carry out extra-judicial killings in Gaza.

We handed out hundreds of fliers and postcards. The public were interested to talk to us and were shocked to hear about the deadly arms connection here in the heart of Bristol.

As is well known Bristol prospered from the slave trade, and received a further injection of compensation money when the trade ended. This money then found its way into Victorian projects such as the Great Western Railway and the SS Great Britain. Given this history, it’s all the more shocking that the city is now benefiting from the modern arms industry.

The event was organised by Child Victims of War, Bristol Against Arms Trade and Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign, with support from the national Campaign Against Arms Trade.

You can see more from Bristol Against Arms Trade by liking them on Facebook or visiting their website.