Retreat of Malvern arms fair celebrated
'The campaign saw over 900 people sign a petition against the expo.'
Quakers in Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire are celebrating the news that an arms fair they have long-campaigned against has no plans to return.
The arms fair at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern has been the focus of multiple demonstrations and campaigns, organised by 3 Counties Campaign Against Arms Trade (3CCAAT). These have been supported by many local Friends. The group has been urging the showground to stop hosting the 3 Counties Defence and Security Expo (3CDSE), claiming that its presence ran counter to the showground’s charitable aims of promoting agriculture, horticulture and rural crafts.
The campaign saw over 900 people sign a petition against the expo, as well as several hundred letters and emails sent to the Three Counties Showground.
Mike Davis, local Friend and campaigner, writes on the Quakers in Britain website that companies who have sponsored or exhibited at the Expo include: ‘BAE Systems, who supply Saudi Arabia with Typhoon and Tornado aircraft being used in the war in Yemen; Arnold Defense, a global supplier of rocket launchers; and Thales, manufacturer of missiles and warships’.
After peaceful demonstrations in both 2021 and 2022, the group was starting to prepare for 2023 when members learned to their ‘joy’ that there was to be no Expo at the showground this year. ‘We are delighted, although we would still like to see the showground commit to an ethical events policy.’
Unfortunately, Mike Davis writes that ‘it is not unalloyed good news – the Expo has managed to find itself a new home in Telford, where it is scheduled to take place at the beginning of November. Needless to say, 3CCAAT will do everything it can to support campaigners in Shropshire and Staffordshire [and] we hope Quakers will continue to play a central role’.
