London protest - EUROPE'S BIGGEST ARMS FAIR IN LONDON

here is a copy of most of an email i received ages ago. i cut out some of the boring/seemingly irrelevent ramblings - for more info go to the web page

i will definately try to go to the saturday protest

INTERNATIONAL CALL TO ACTION

STOP EUROPE'S BIGGEST EVER WEAPONS FAIR!

SHUT DOWN DSEi!
LONDON, UK - 6TH - 12TH SEPTEMBER 2003

One of the world's biggest ever trade fairs for guns, bombs, military planes, small arms, mines and tanks is taking place in London from 9th - 12th September 2003.

An international protest. Thousands of protesters, from all over the world, are invited to travel to the UK to help stop this market of death, and to work towards shutting down the whole murderous industry. This is a chance to target not just the fair itself, but the businesses behind it.

What is DSEi?

Defence Systems Equipment International (DSEi 2003) is an arms fair, sponsored by the British government. It will host arms buyers from all over the world - including countries on Amnesty International's list of human rights abusers, and others who should be!

Also shopping at this huge arms fair will be delegates representing some of the poorest countries in Africa and Asia. Rich Western governments, including America, Britain, France and Italy, and their weapons companies, will try to get them to buy expensive weapons instead of spending money on education, development and medicine.

The last DSEi exhibition took place over 11th September 2001, the day of the attacks on New York and Washington in America. While many businesses around the world closed, the arms fair stayed open. For three more days, countries including America, Israel and 14 different Arab nations continued to shop, side-by-side, for weapons to attack each other with! The arms trade, of which DSEi 2003 is an important part, is an international political business made up of multinational companies which make products that kill and maim for profit. These companies play a leading role in the unjust global economic system which causes poverty and abuse of human rights around the world.

Civilians made up 90 percent of all war casualties during the 1990s. Wars continue today only thanks to the arms trade. Due to globalisation, the arms companies operate above the law, outside of trade agreements, and firmly in favour only of the rich and powerful.

What is being planned?

London, 6th - 12th September 2003.

Most international protest has centred around government institutions. DSEi 2003 is a chance to directly tackle companies and government ministers while they are actually trading in arms. 'Disarm DSEi' is co-ordinating a week long festival of action, protest and resistance against the arms fair and the unjust global system which supports it. We are planning a full year ahead, to make it the biggest ever festival against the arms trade.

Here's what's planned for the DSEi week! Of course there will be other stuff going on during the week and there will be more details of that nearer the time! If you or your group are planning a public action, please let us know! More details on all these vents is coming soon!

Saturday 6th September - Unity march in Central London, for more information email here <mailto:march@dsei.org> !
Sunday 7 & Monday 8 - Conference with workshops run by supporting groups and any other activists who want to do workshops; lots of information, discussing, networking and generally getting together - email this <mailto:conference@dsei.org> address for more information.
Monday 8 September - Multi-faith silent vigil. For further info contact East London Against The Arms Fair, c/o Community Involvement Unit, Durning Hall, Earlham Grove, E7 9AB.
Tuesday 9 September - 'Facing the Arms Traders', a peaceful demonstration at Custom House. Being organised by CAAT <http://www.caat.org.uk/> . For further info email <mailto:dsei@caat.demon.co.uk> here.
Wednesday 10 September - 'Day of Direct Action Blockades' (no rules, no guidelines). Being organised by Destroy DSEi <http://www.destroydsei.org/> . For more info on that email <mailto:dsei_da@london.com> here. A Critical Mass <http://cmlondon.enrager.net/> is also being planned for this day. For more info on the CM <mailto:cm_dsei@reallyfast.info> email here.

i suggest the london spinning protest massive re-arm and meet at 11:30 near temple station....

[ 05. September 2003, 09:22: Message edited by: faery em ]

Good call, faery em!

Anyone up for the Street Party at Rathbone Market on Weds 10th Sept?




- S

i'll be there, i'll be there

again can we meet pllleeeeeaaaaaasssseee

i might be lateish (not that i looked up timings) as i'll be at work

Bump... bump.....

..........pty.......bump


...........................crash


DOES NO-ONE CARE??????

i can't make the protest this sat, but will be heading for the street party on weds

will anyone meet me there or will i be all alone

I'll go Emily

Or rather i'll try as hard as i can to make it but i can't promise that i will definately make it.

I had this grand plan to get tickets to the events and go and cause havoc. This morning I decided that there is no point in trying to go there and change the minds of those anal watchdogs and I don't really want to be arrested! I went as far as emailing the wankers organising the event to see about getting tickets and was sent a reply back to my queries:

quote:

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please register online at www.dsei.co.uk

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to which I replied

quote:

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What a helpful and extensive reply

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to which they replied

quote:

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concise and accuracy are our watchwords

---

Hrrrmhh.

I will not be marching or staging a poi protest in the middle of the exhibition but yesterday I drafted a letter and I plan on emailing it to as many newspapers and free papers as possible as well as my local MP. If one person takes notice of it I guess that is something.

my bosses jumped up little princess of a girlfriend WORKS for these bastards.. I a really good debate with him the other day about it - asking him if he thought his girl had any sort of concious at all.. he didn't have much of a reply.. tossers.. grrr!!

Cant believe I missed this first time round!!
Sorry miss fairy I DEFINATELY care!

I cant make the Saturday but Im really up for Wednesdays fair. I will check the website and see if its still on after I finish work.

kewl - where and when on weds, and is there ne1 out there who will be there saturday? is the rest of the saturday thing gonna be near temple anyway in case no1 turns up? so many questions so little time...

I hope to be there on saturday, although not quite sure if ill manage it
work weekdays but gonna try and get to everything i can, spec on wednesday!

hey hey miss em

tis good to know someone also saw this. miss anna and i are hoping to be there on weds tho we can no make it on saterday

we were talking to the guy in camden that gave the flyer to us and the arms fair has to be stopped. double grr err

BUMP!!!
the more people there on wednesday the better.
hope to see you there, currently trying to get my boss to send me there to cover the news for the spanish press.
fingers crossed.
anyone know what time things finish?
cos if my boss says no I finish at six...prob too late to go

yep i'm there ! not just to see my loverly spinney friendzes but i think its for a good cause.
Wouldn't it be great if man never invented tools of violence, and spent more time talking over their differences.

I'll be there on wednesday, I'll try and make some flag poi with anti dsei slogans on them (no I really will get my act together, really )

Hope to see lots of peeps there making their feelings known

hey guys

Anyone know when it will be going on till tomorrow cos im not finishing work till late.. if I can I will definately come down

it starts at 3, but i guess it will go on as long as people still want to be there (or are allowed to be there ) i'd say it would be all evening, unless its pissing it down.

i'm pm-ing some of you my number (bit late i know) so give me a call and we'll try to meet up

would like to but would it be ok to tag along with anyone??

T I HAVE JUST WATCHED THE NEWS, THEIR WILL BE OVER 2500+ POLICE AT THE EVENT AND THEY ARE NOT EXPECTING IT TO GO WELL, THE POO HEADS HAVE ALREADY ARRESTED 100-ODD PEOPLE AND IT HAS NOT EVEN STARTED, WHAT IS EVEN MORE SCARY IS THAT THEY ARE USING THE TERRORISM ACT, WHICH IN SHORT MEANS THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO ARREST YOU IF THEY WANT TO. THEY ARE ALSO DOING BODY SEARCHES AND BY THE LOOK OF THE FOOTAGE THEY ARE NOT BEING FRIENDLY. AM MUCH WORRIED ABOUT ALL OF YOU.

You are all welcome to come to fulham where i live instead and eat cake

fairly disgusting using the terrorism act.
but i think they´re going to get done for it.
fingers crossed.
c u all sometime soon hopefully!