DSEi 2003 (the WMD are in London!)

Defence Systems Equipment International (DSEi) 2003 was held at the Excel Centre in London's Docklands. One of the world's largest networking points for buyers and sellers in the 'defence' industry, DSEi was held during the week of 9th - 12th September 2003 amidst a heavy police presence and small but numerous protests, blockades and other direct actions to disrupt and attract attention to the trade in weapons of mass destrucion going on right under our noses.

Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) - http://www.caat.org.uk/ - have produced a full report on the countries and companies attending the fair but here is some of the countries who are there:

Indonesia - Poor human rights record in Aceh and East Timor.
India and Pakistan - Both nuclear armed, and on the brink of war this time last year.
Iraq - Having bombed their infrastructure into rubble, we're now selling them assault rifles.
Israel - Regularly uses tanks, armoured bulldozers and helicopter gunships in Palestinian civillian areas.
South Africa - Surely they should be spending money on treating and preventing HIV instead?
USA - Haven't they got enough weapons already?

The mainstream media didn't think it was important enough to report unless there were any fights, and they were totally put to shame by the coverage of the whole event by the UK Independent Media Centre at http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2003/dsei/

See also the Disarm DSEi web site at http://www.dsei.org/ and the SchNews report at http://www.schnews.org.uk/archive/news422.htm

The offices of Spearhead, the company which organised DSEi 2003, were targeted with a banner drop and leaflets were handed out to employees and members of the public explaining Spearhead's role in the arms fair. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/08/275981.html

The entrance roads to the fair were blocked for a time by an activist secured to a tripod structure and by a human chain linked together by arm tubes. Report: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276258.html Photos: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276359.html

A DSEi exhibitor, Fluent, had a banner hung over the entrance to their office, and activists blockaded themselves into the revolving door: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276375.html

Mark Thomas took a satirical look at DSEi 2003: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276477.html

A demonstration was held in London against the arms fair at the weekend. Report: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276590.html Photos: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276558.html

Two warships were prevented from docking at the exhibition by activists in inflatable boats and others who locked themselves to the swing bridge. Eyewitness report: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276545.html photo: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276711.html video clips: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/london/2003...

DSEi exhibitor BAE systems were visited by activists in suits who gained entry to a meeting and managed to talk to staff before being ejected from the building. Others attempted to occupy the offices and lock on to convenient items, and a passing samba band and protest march stopped to provide solidarity: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276775.html

Entrance to the Excel centre blockaded with red paint. More DSEi exhibitors targetted by affinity groups armed with paintballs and d-locks. CAAT hold an official demonstration of around 300 people, a samba band and a bright orange Globalise Resistance cardboard tank. Heavy police tactics used to confine and disperse protesters. The roundabout outside the Excel centre was blocked by protestors (assisted by lots of police vans) for a while. School children were prevented from leaving their school at lunch time. A number of protesters were arrested under the terrorism act.

Summary of the day's events and related links here: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/276824.html

Docklands Light Railway severely disrupted by a number of incidents of activists d-locking themselves to the trains. Inside some of the trains, and later on a bus, some suited activists posed as arms dealers. With their briefcases containing samples of their arms and warheads (actually arms and legs and heads from plastic dolls), they struck up lively conversations with genuine arms dealers about what they did for a living, attracting the attention of ordinary commuters to the presence of the dealers in death in their midsts, and causing severe embarassment to the dealers themselves.

Cycle-mounted Critical Mass activists headed from the City of London to Docklands, causing some disruption to traffic at appropriate points. They joined up later with a Reclaim the Streets party on the A13. The police eventually surrounded the crowd and forced them into a park, most being released only after being searched and / or photographed.

More arrests under section 44 of the terrorism act (erm... if you were looking for terrorists, you'd have found more inside the Excel centre than outside... ).

Summary of the day and links to all the relevant stories here: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/277023.html

On the second anniversary of 9-11, and the thirtieth anniversary of the Pinochet coup in Chile, the fountain in Trafalgar Square turned red with (fake) blood), and the delegates at DSEi sat down to their gala dinner in the Royal Lancaster hotel. A noisy demonstration outside was maintained throughout the evening, with Critical Mass and other demonstrators blocking nearby roads. Another heavy and aggressive police presence sealed the area off, and Lancaster Gate tube station was closed to the public, for the exclusive use of the arms dealers.

Full story here: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/09/277262.html

A number of people were injured and / or arrested during the course of DSEi, and activists who were arrested in the run-up to and the start of the Iraq war are coming to trial soon. A legal support group called Liberty is contesting the legality of using section 44 of the terrorism act against protestors, and is offering to represent anyone arrested under the act.

Keep up-to-date with the story at the excellent UK Indymedia DSEi 2003 feature page: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2003/dsei/