Quakers gather against London arms fair
'The plan is to have Meeting for Worship somewhere between the tube and the entrance when the delegations are arriving.’
Friends gathered at Friends House this week to start their witness against the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair.
As the Friend went to press, many Quakers flocked to London carrying placards and banners, driven by an urgent need to stand witness against the arms trade.
Meanwhile other protestors had already been gathering throughout the previous week, blocking lorries from entering the ExCel Centre in London’s Docklands, where the fair is based.
‘We’re acting in response to the prompting of love and truth in our hearts,’ Robin Bowles, from Huddersfield Meeting, said about the upcoming action.
With a vigil and visits to arms sites in London planned, Quaker Roots is anticipating that many Friends will be arrested, particularly on the main day of action on 14 September.
Central Manchester Quaker Steve Hornby told the Friend that three from his Meeting were attending, with more people joining from Stockport and Liverpool. ‘Last time there were thirty of us, but people have Covid concerns now. In 2019 we protested the week before to stop them setting-up, but this time the plan is to have Meeting for Worship somewhere between the tube and the entrance when the delegations are arriving. There are going to be less people so the tactics may be different.’
Two years ago, around forty Friends were arrested in the No Faith in War event protesting against the fair. Around 700 Quakers took part.
