Stopping the world's largest arms fair
Quakers in Britain are a founder member of Stop the Arms Fair (offsite link): a coalition of groups opposing the Defence and Security Equipment International arms fair (DSEi - pronounced 'dicey') in East London every other year. We are building resistance to the arms fair through protest, lobbying, witness, creativity and prayer. The next DSEi is due to take place in 2017: if it does, Quakers will be working to increase the resistance.
Many Quaker meetings work to end the arms trade through support of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), the national NGO working on this issue and a key partner of Quakers in Britain.
- Read stories written by Quakers taking action to stop the arms fair in 2015: Shining a light on peace at the arms fair and Stop the arms fair: Doing it for Hilly.
- Visit Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) (offsite link) for resources and information about ending the arms trade.
- Visit Stop the Arms Fair (offsite link) for resources and information about the DSEi arms fair and all UK arms fairs.
Take Action!
Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) have a wonderful page of petitions & pledges to sign up to. Currently the#StopArmingSaudi one is particularly urgent given that British weapons are being used in Yemen and the scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding there.
Staff in QPSW are more than happy to advise you if you are interested in taking further action, or if your meeting has a concern in this area.
Image: A damaged UN school in Gaza city in 2012 (Wikimedia CC 3.0)
