Every year, the UK arms trade holds a fancy black tie dinner at Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
On the 22nd January 2020, the Aerospace, Defence and Security dinner will bring arms dealers, MPs and military personnel together to schmooze, swill champagne, and feast on expensive food. At the same time, 14 million Yemeni people are at risk of famine, starved as a result of the Saudi-led coalition’s bombing of their country. Many of the bombs are made by the arms companies present, and have been sold with the support of the politicians in attendance.
Over 100,000 people are estimated to have been killed since war in Yemen broke out in 2015, including 12,000 civilians in directly targeted attacks. The war in Yemen has caused one of the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The UK government is directly involved in causing this suffering; only legal action from CAAT has forced the government to review arms sales to Saudi. Meanwhile, UK-made planes are dropping UK-made bombs in Yemen, and UK arms sold to Turkey have been used in the decimation of the Kurds. UK arms sales fuel death, destruction and violence across the globe.
We will not let those profiting from and enabling war to celebrate unchallenged.
JOIN US outside Grosvenor House to protest the ADS dinner with creative action! Bring yourselves, friends, warm clothes, and banners, placards and your voice.
Join the Facebook event for the demonstration.
➡️Travel and Accessibility Information⬅️
The nearest tube station is Marble Arch on the Central Line, 0.2 miles away. Marble Arch does not have step-free access. The nearest tube station with step-free access is Bond Street on the Central and Jubilee Lines, 0.4 miles away. Step-free access to trains on the Central Line at Bond Street is via a manual ramp which can be arranged by speaking to a member of staff in the ticket hall or calling 0343 222 1234 in advance. Step-free access to trains on the Jubilee Line at Bond Street is via designated level access boarding points.
To get to Grosvenor House from Bond Street by bus take the 390 from Selfridges Stop BX (Oxford Street) to Dorchester Hotel Stop S (Park Lane). Total walking distance is 0.2 miles. It is possible to take a bus from Marble Arch Station / Edgware Road Stop H to Dorchester Hotel Stop S (Park Lane) but the total walking distance of approx. 0.2 miles is similar to making your way directly from Marble Arch down Park Lane to Grosvenor House.Buses 2, 6, 13, 16, 23, 36, 74, 137, 148, 390 and 414 all stop within a short distance of Grosvenor House. The nearest bus stops to Grosvenor House are Stops S & T (Dorchester Hotel) on Park Lane, 0.1 miles away.
The nearest public car park is Q Park, Park Lane, which is located opposite the hotel.There are drop-kerbs on all the pavements close to the venue.
➡️Come prepared⬅️
🧤This action will take place outdoors on a January evening and the weather will therefore be cold and possibly wet. Please wear warm, waterproof clothing. We will have a limited number of blankets and plastic rain ponchos available for those who are cold and / or wet.☕️There will be hot tea and coffee available for free at the action. If you need to sit down and have a cup of tea or coffee indoors, the nearest venues are the Richoux coffee house and Audley pub which are both located on South Audley Street (off Upper Grosvenor Street), 0.2 miles from Grosvenor House.🚽The nearest publicly available toilets are in Hyde Park (20p charge) and Marks and Spencer on Oxford Street (free), both 0.4 miles away and open until 9pm. There are also toilets in the Q-Park car park opposite Grosvenor House.
🔸The action will be run based on the Stop the Arms Fair safer spaces policy: www.stopthearmsfair.org.uk/safer-spaces-policy.
🔸Support with travel and / or childcare is available, just email CAAT at events at caat.org.uk.
🔸If you wish to attend and have requirements that are not met by the above, please email events at caat.org.uk and they will do our best to make the action accessible to you.