Stand in solidarity with the people of Yemen
On March 26th, it will be eight years since the war on Yemen started. In that time, the Saudi-led coalition has launched wave after wave of attacks on the country, killing thousands, destroying infrastructure and causing untold misery. At least 8,983 civilians have been killed in attacks by the coalition and they have targeted schools, hospitals, weddings and funerals. The UN estimates that 377,000 people have been killed through direct and indirect causes. 20.7 million people – two thirds of Yemen’s population – required humanitarian assistance in January 2022, with 12.1 million in “acute need”. The war in Yemen has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
Join us at 12pm on Saturday March 26th outside Downing Street to stand in solidarity with the people of Yemen and commemorate all the lives unnecessarily lost in this brutal war. We hope to hear from those affected by the war before holding a silence to remember the lives lost by this war. Please find more details here.
There is also an international online rally on March 25th which aims to inspire and enhance education and activism to end the war in Yemen. You can register for that here.
Join the Stop the Arms coalition to plan the resistance to the DSEI arms fair
Stop the Arms Fair are holding a Resist DSEI strategy planning day on March 18th. Come to this strategy planning day to start preparing to take action against the fair:
· Be part of building the movement
· Get involved in planning campaigns in the run up
· Take part in spreading the word or developing a media strategy
· Get stuck in to organising the protests.
The meeting is on Saturday 18th March 10:30 – 4.00pm in the George Fox room at Friends House, Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ.
In 2021, DSEI brought together over 30,000 arms buyers and dealers to network and make deals. Governments and military delegations, including from countries involved in military conflicts and at war and on the government’s own list of human rights abusers, browsed the wares of 1,600+ arms companies selling everything from guns and bombs to fighter jets and warships. They were be joined by companies selling surveillance equipment, drones and other tools of repression to police and state agencies. DSEI is an important event for the UK state, which heavily subsidises and promotes the arms industry, and helps organise the arms fair. It is where war starts but it is also where we can stop it.
Please come and get involved!