Natural History Museum hosts arms dealers
A reception for arms dealers held at the Natural History Museum faced protests
The Natural History Museum in London faced protests on Monday evening as it hosted a reception for arms dealers attending the Farnborough arms fair in Hampshire.
The event included representatives of the UK government and armed forces as well as leading arms companies. Ministers have been strongly criticised for allowing regimes such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to attend the arms fair. It is held alongside the better-known Farnborough International Airshow, which involves a display of civilian aircraft.
As they arrived at the reception, arms dealers were greeted by protesters dressed as dinosaurs – a reference to the popularity of the dinosaur exhibits in the museum. Their placards read: ‘Let’s make arms dealers extinct’. The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) said that many passers-by had been shocked when given leaflets by protesters and told about the reception.
The Natural History Museum said that they were hiring out the venue to raise money that allows them to continue their work.
CAAT’s Sarah Waldron said: ‘The Natural History Museum’s mission is to inspire better care of our planet. Support for events which promote the arms trade is not compatible with that mission.’
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