Author: Ian Pocock

Merchants of Death walking tour, August 9^th

The monstrous DSEI arms fair is returning to east London this September (see below for more on that) and London CAAT will be doing a walking tour of some of the arms companies and organisations who will be exhibiting at the fair. We will share information about their deadly weaponry and the impact it has had globally while also making our voices heard, so everybody knows about the arms dealing in London!

We plan to visit Boeing, BAE Systems, UK Defence & Security Exports (the government body responsible for promoting UK arms exports) and L3 Harris. You can meet us outside the offices of Boeing Defence, 25 Victoria Street, London on Sat 9th August. from 6pm for a 6.30pm start. So we can manage numbers, please sign up via the Eventbrite we have set up, where you can find more information about the tour.

Get ready for an eye-opening experience at the London CAAT Merchants of Death Tour and get inspired to take action against DSEI.

Get involved in the protests against DSEI

The Defence and Security Equipment International is one of the world’s largest arms fairs and will take place at the ExCeL centre in September. Most of the biggest arms companies attend alongside official military and security delegations from around the world, including many that represent human rights abusing regimes and countries involved in conflict. As a major trade event for an industry that’s responsible for so much violence and tragic loss, DSEI must be stopped and every person who can get down in protest contributes to that.

The event itself takes place September 9th-12th, but resistance begins earlier, in the ‘set up’ week (1st-7th September) as weapons and equipment arrive on the east side of the ExCel centre. There are plans for themed days around the different issues and struggles that the global arms trade touches on, such as migrant justice, security and borders and no pride in war.

Israel’s genocide on Palestine will of course be a focus across the whole two weeks of action and the actions across the two weeks will draw attention to the genocide and the UK’s complicity in it. Campaign Against Arms Trade have produced a petition calling on Sadiq Khan and the Foreign Office to kick Israel out of DSEI and to not let Israeli weapons companies and politicians come to London to buy and sell weapons for genocide. You can sign the petition here.

Groups or individuals can help by putting on a demonstration, bringing someone who can speak on behalf of their organisation, getting involved in helping the network organise the resistance or turning up to the actions that will be taking place across the two weeks. Check out the Stop the Arms Fair website or email them at resistdsei at protonmail.com for more info/to get involved.

Come protest against Rolls-Royce, who are complicit in Israel’s assault on Palestine

Israel is carrying out an unprovoked attack on Iran that threatens global instability and is also continuing to massacre civilians in Gaza, including those just trying to get food aid. Their inhumanity seemingly knows no bounds and we must continue to target those complicit in their genocide of the Palestinian people. Join us to protest against Rolls-Royce, another company who support Israel’s monstrous behaviour.

Rolls-Royce were one of many arms companies warned by UN experts that they must end transfers of weapons and ammunition to Israel or risk being complicit in serious violations of international human rights and international humanitarian laws. Rolls-Royce is involved in the construction of the F-35 fighter jets that Israel is using to bombard Gaza.

Join us on July 11^th at 6pm to protest against Rolls-Royce profiting from the slaughter of Palestinians. Full details here and you can also share the Facebook event here.

Join Islington PSC to protest against Barclays funding of Israel’s genocide, June 28

Barclays has one of the worst records globally for financing fossil fuels and it continues to finance the industry in spite of the climate emergency and spiralling environmental breakdown. The bank also provides billions of pounds in loans and underwriting to arms companies, including those supplying the Israeli military in its genocidal campaigns in Gaza over the last 18 plus months.

Islington Council declared a climate emergency over five years ago and claims it is committed to high environmental and ethical standards, yet it currently banks with Barclays. Its contract with the bank is coming to an end and the tendering process to find a new bank is due to begin soon.

Join Islington Palestine Solidarity Campaign at 12 noon on Saturday 28 June at Islington Green as they march against Barclays. Alongside a speaker from CAAT, there will be speakers from Culture Workers Against Genocide, Money Rebellion, KIN Coop, London Mining Network, Islington Banks Better and Green and Independent Councillors.

Come protest against L3Harris, who are complicit in Israel’s assault on Palestine

As Israel continues to bombard Palestine with increasing brutality, the arms companies who are complicit in their atrocities must be opposed. L3Harris are one of the worst companies involved in Israel’s genocide – they make weapons release cables for the F-35 fighter jets, some specially adapted for Israel’s use with their own munitions. It also produces the integrated core processor, the main computer in the F-35. The F-35 jet is one of Israel’s method of attack on Gaza, having been used to kill thousands of innocent civilians.

The death toll since October 2023 has now reached 50,000 and at least 1,300 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed its war on Gaza on 18 March. Their latest atrocity is execution-style killings of 15 paramedics and Palestinian rescue workers by Israeli forces. The carnage in Gaza must stop and those responsible, including arms companies, held accountable.

Join us on May 1^st to oppose that L3Harris are making money off the death and destruction of Palestinians and from Israel’s brutal bombardment of Gaza. Full details here and you can also share the Facebook event here.

Join us on March 26^th to stand in solidarity with the people of Yemen

Ten years a Saudi-led coalition launched a brutal assault on Yemen. Since then, thousands of Yemeni civilians have been killed by Saudi bombs. The UN estimates that 377,000 war related deaths occurred by the end of 2021. Over 154,000 of these deaths were the direct result of the armed conflict. The UK is heavily complicit in this conflict through supplying at least £31 billion worth of arms to the Saudi-led coalition. On top of this, the UK and US have bombed targets in Yemen in response to the Houthis attacking international shipping in the Red Sea. Inflicting more bombing on Yemen and jeopardising the fragile peace is immoral beyond words.

Join us at 6pm on Wednesday March 26th outside Downing Street to commemorate all the lives unnecessarily lost in this brutal war, call for a sustainable peace and an end to arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Speakers to be announced – you can check here for more details and there is also a Facebook event.

We protested against Leonardo and BAE Systems complicity in Israel’s genocide

Last month we visited Leonardo and Westminster tube station, where BAE Systems have had a long running advert, to oppose their part in Israel’s assault on Gaza. Leonardo make the laser targeting system for the F35 fighter jet that Israel has used to wreak devastation and death across Gaza while BAE are the main UK company involved in the F-35.

We had lively chanting, gave out many leaflets and told the public about the evils of these companies. Many passers-by were supportive of our call for an end to the genocide and to the UK’s complicity in it.

No to arms companies that helped Israel devastate Gaza

A fragile ceasefire in Gaza has been agreed but Israel continues to kill Palestinian civilians.

Despite the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel continues to kill and oppress Palestinian civilians. According to War on Want, they have killed at least 110 Palestinians, including three children, while also escalating attacks in the West Bank. The pressure needs to be kept up to ensure the ceasefire holds, Israel does not start massacring Palestinians again and that there is a full two-way arms embargo.

On February 27^th, we will visit Leonardo, who are complicit in Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza. They make the laser targeting system for the F35. Another company helping Israel slaughter innocent Palestinian civilians is BAE Systems and we will also visit Westminster tube station to highlight the long running advert for them. BAE are the main UK company involved in the F-35 fighter jet that Israel has used to wreak devastation and death across Gaza and having an advert so close to the corridor of power is immoral.

We must continue to call for a sustained ceasefire and an end to Israel’s oppression of Palestine. Join us to say no to these companies and to UK complicity in Israel’s genocide. Full details here and there is also a Facebook event.

We said no to the heinous arms dealers dinner

We had a lively and boisterous demo outside the arms dealers dinner, the annual event where arms dealers, MPs and military personnel get together to schmooze and network. As attendees of the ADS dinner entered the swanky Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel, they were met with chants, noisy drumming and a picture of Hind Rajab, one of the many victims of their deadly trade. We are grateful to all those who turned up, including Palestine Action and the drumming groups who brought so much energy to the demo.

Say no to the annual arms dealer dinner!

On January 28^th the UK arms trade will hold its annual fancy black tie dinner in central London. This dinner will bring together arms dealers, MPs and military personnel to schmooze, swill champagne, and feast on expensive food. That year on year they gather to celebrate their deadly business is immoral and callous. With BAE Systems as one of the sponsors, a company that is the main UK company involved in the production of F-35 aircraft that are used to bomb Gaza, this event needs to be opposed.

The companies at this dinner have also sold military equipment to the Saudi-led coalition for the war that has devastated Yemen, and facilitated oppression in Bahrain. These companies cause so much death, destruction and misery around the world.

This celebration of their heinous business cannot be allowed to go ahead unopposed. Bring your placards, noise and passion to oppose this horrendous event. More details can be found here. The venue is not something they announce publicly so keep checking this page for details of the location.

We had a busy year!

We took on the evils of the arms trade in a variety of ways this year – please see below for a flavour of what we got up to.

We started the year with a lively protest against the arms dealer dinner (see above for this year’s protest) and the feeling was particularly strong as Israel was three months into it’s brutal bombardment of Gaza and as their genocide continues, we expect the same again this year.

In March, we held a vigil outside Downing Street to mark the anniversary of the start of the war on Yemen, stand in solidarity with the people of the country and commemorate all the lives unnecessarily lost in this brutal war. We heard from Mayer Wakefield from Stop the War, Andrew Feinstein from Shadow World Investigations, Insiya Raja from Bahraini Institute for Rights and Democracy, and the Yemeni freelance journalist Ahmad Algohbary. You can hear Ahmad Algohbary’s message below

Next up was a walking tour of some the arms companies complicit in Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza’s civilian population. We visited Boeing, BAE Systems and L3 Harris and outlined the ways they are involved in Israel’s brutal war on Gaza.

We held a protest outside the Counter Terror Expo, an event that pushes a counter-terrorism narrative that entrenches militarised borders and leads to more arms sales, and actually got invited inside to have a look – read more about that here.

We ended the year with a loud protest outside L3Harris, a company that is fully complicit in Israel’s war on Gaza through it’s production of the integrated core processor, the main computer in the F-35. There were chants, leaflets and Palestinian poetry. It was a sobering end to a year of obscene violence against Palestinians.

So a busy year for London CAAT and we will continue to challenge the arms trade this year. Thank you to anyone who came to meetings, attended demos or supported us in any way.

L3Harris supply weapons parts to Israel – they must be opposed

Israel is continuing it’s brutal and callous attack on Gaza, committing more atrocities and it is now widening its sphere of targets to Lebanon. So far, they have killed over 42,000 people in Palestine and bombed hospitals, schools and refugee camps. All with the assistance of many arms companies who are profiting from this death and destruction.

L3 Harris are one such company and a particularly monstrous one. They make bomb release mechanisms for Israeli fighter jets including the F35, some specially adapted for Israel’s use with their own munitions. The F-35 jet is one of Israel’s method of attack on Gaza, having been used to kill thousands of innocent civilians. L3Harris also sell other military equipment to Israel, including components for the Joint Direct Attack munitions, which have been used to bomb Gaza.

Join us on November 29^th to oppose L3Harris’ complicity in Israel’s inhumane bombardment of Gaza. Full details here and you can also share the Facebook event here.

The human rights abusing Saudi regime cannot be allowed to host the World Cup

Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 World Cup even though the regime does not meet FIFA requirements for protecting human rights including when it hosted the 2023 Club World Cup. Migrant workers are already dying in the country, political dissent can lead to a death sentence and homosexuality is illegal. There is also the Saudi regime’s brutal war on Yemen and the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.

We are working with Newcastle Fans Against Sportswashing, Equidem and concerned football fans on how to oppose Saudi Arabia hosting the World Cup – keep an eye on our Twitter page for more on this.

We protested against the Counter Terror Expo

Last month, we went down to the ExCeL centre to protest against the awful Counter Terror Expo. Counter terror powers are used to criminalise communities and, increasingly, protesters. Under terror laws pro-Palestinian protesters have been arrested, the Prevent strategy is a racist endeavour and counter-terror powers have been used on our borders. The counter terrorism narrative is used to demonise, harass and criminalise minoritised communities, especially those from the Palestinian or Kurdish communities.

We went down with CAAT and Netpol to let the public know about the worrying nature of the event, highlight the arms companies that were attending and carrying out a bit of street theatre, which you can see here.

What we were not expecting was to be invited inside, which led to CAAT’s media coordinator and Netpol’s Campaign Coordinator being given a tour of the Expo. You can read the blog post about their surreal visit and the inaccurate security briefing given about CAAT’s media coordinator here. Declassified went inside as well and you can read their take on this disturbing expo here.

We joined a range of groups to discuss a campaign against the Saudi World Cup

We joined an online meeting with other concerned groups and football fans to discuss building a coalition to oppose the World Cup being hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2034. Also in attendance were Newcastle Fans Against Sportswashing and Equidem, who have just released a report on forced labour in Saudi Arabia that you can find on their website. We discussed the issues around the awarding of the tournament to Saudi Arabia and various ideas for a campaign to oppose it. There are plans for another wider meeting in September so please reply to this email if you want to get involved in the campaign.

Join us to say no to another arms fair

Join us on June 19^th to protest against another arms fair taking place at the ExCeL centre. This event will bring together arms dealers, military delegations and government officials. These sort of events are crucial to the smooth running of the arms trade. Much of the equipment on display is designed to kill, injure and oppress people.

Join us to say no to this heinous event. Come out of Custom House DLR and follow the signs to the ExCeL centre. Full details are here and there is a Facebook event to share as well.

We marked nine years of the war on Yemen

On March 26th, some thirty campaigners from London CAAT and friends marked nine years of the war in Yemen with a vigil outside Downing Street.

They heard from speakers including Mayer Wakefield from Stop the War, Andrew Feinstein from Shadow World Investigations, Insiya Raja from Bahraini Institute for Rights and Democracy, and Ahmad Algohbary, a freelance Yemeni journalist.

Speakers made the connection between the suffering of the people of Yemen and the billions of pounds of UK weapons sold to the Saudi-led coalition. They also stood in solidarity with Gaza, noting that Yemen has also been bombed by US and UK forces, as part of the wider conflict.

You can hear Ahmad Algohbary’s message here:

The names of some of those killed in the conflict were read out, and the vigil concluded with songs from Raised Voices Choir, and nine minutes silence: one minute for each year of the war.

To quote Ahmad Algohbary, “We won’t stop speaking out, protesting, working hard until peace is a reality”. Thank you to everyone who braved the weather to stand in solidarity with Yemen.

Wevisited arms companies complicit in Israel’s assault on Gaza

On April 6^th, we did a very successful walking tour themed around Israel’s continued brutal bombardment of Gaza. We took around 40 people to three companies complicit in the death and destruction Israel has wreaked on Gaza; Boeing, BAE Systems and L3Harris. At each stop we outlined how these heinous companies supported Israel with weapons and components of the fighter jets used to strafe Gaza and left blue plaques to highlight this as well as doing some chanting to show the public we were opposing these companies’ complicity in the ongoing genocide. We have done walking tours several times before but for the first time, the police deemed it necessary to follow us around for the entire tour ‘for our protection’ – ludicrous waste of their time and unnecessarily intimidating.

Launch event of report on policing of Palestine demos

Sign up for the online launch of an in-depth report from Netpol on the policing of the recent Palestine protests in England and Wales. It takes places on Thursday May 30^th, 6.30pm – 8pm. You can book your free livestream ticket here.

Stand in solidarity with the people of Yemen

March 26^th 2015 saw the start of the Saudi-led coalition’s war on Yemen. Since then the people have endured nine years of bombardment and a devastating human toll. Thousands of Yemeni civilians have been killed by Saudi bombs, facilitated by UK arms sales. The UN estimates that 377,000 war related deaths occurred by the end of 2021. Over 150,000 of these deaths were the direct result of the armed conflict In total the UK has supplied at least £28 billion worth of arms to the Saudi-led coalition attacking Yemen. The war in Yemen has caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

Join us at 6pm on Wednesday March 26^th outside Downing Street to stand in solidarity with the people of Yemen and commemorate all the lives unnecessarily lost in this brutal war. Full details can be found here.

Join us for a walking tour of arms companies complicit in Israel’s assault on Gaza

On January 26^th the International Court of Justice found that there is a plausible risk of Genocide in Gaza. As Israel’s cruel campaign in Gaza continue, with the horrifying prospect of ground invasion in Rafah, we are putting on this walking tour to introduce people to some of the arms companies in our midst that have facilitated the obscene collective punishment on Gaza’s civilian population. Come along to find out more about these heinous companies and get inspired to take action against their complicity in one of the great crimes of our time.

The tour will be on April 6^th at 2pm. Please register for the tour here so we can manage numbers.