A protest banner outside the Church of England conference centre next to Westminster Abbey Photo: Sam Walton
Protest vigil at Church of England Conference Centre
Friends witness against Land Warfare conference
Five Quakers joined a vigil at a Church of England conference centre last week to protest against a military conference sponsored by arms companies.
The protest, organised by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, was to demonstrate against the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) Land Warfare Conference held on 19 and 20 June at Church House, London.
The centre, which is next to Westminster Abbey, is home to the administrative headquarters of the Church of England. The conference was sponsored by arms companies Lockheed Martin, Airbus and L-3 Communications.
Sue Hampton, from Berkhampstead Meeting, told the Friend: ‘It’s beyond inappropriate. Jesus was the pince of peace, not the prince of war. War is always a failure of peace-keeping, so the Church should never embrace it.’
She added: ‘There were lots of people in uniform and one soldier put his head around to say: “We’re the ones who prevent war, not you”. Someone from Church House came out and said the conference’s aim was to prevent war, which isn’t what the Facebook page said. I said: “It’s sponsored by arms dealers.” He said: “It’s sponsored by a lot of people.”’
According to the Rusi website, the conference this year ‘considered how land forces can achieve competitive advantage from 2025 and beyond’.
The sessions explored questions such as ‘what doctrine, capabilities and structures will be needed to out-manoeuvre adversaries?’
The Church has defended the booking in the past, saying that the Church House Conference Centre is a separate body from the Church of England.
