DSEi - Defence Systems Equipment International - is the biggest arms fair in Europe. It will be held in the Excel centre in East London Docklands between 9 and 12 September.
Exhibitors include BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Rolls Royce. The last DSEi fair was held on September 11, 2001. Many businesses shut that day but at DSEi business boomed as the Twin Towers burned and collapsed.
Campaign Against the Arms Trade and Disarm DSEi, an umbrella organising group, have worked hard for some time to raise awareness of the arms fair and to plan and coordinate action, which will include demonstrations, direct action and conferences. CND, Globalise Resistance and now the Stop the War Coalition are also supporting the protests.
For those who want to do something apart from attending teach-ins on the war drive, this will hopefully be a key stage in the remobilisation of the anti-globalisation and anti-war movements in the run-up to the demonstration against the occupation of Iraq on September 27. The week-long programme of action includes: Saturday 6 September: mass march in central London. Sunday 7: counter conference at St Anne's Church Hall, Berwick Rd, Canning Town. Monday 8: Disarm DSEi conference point to the exhibition. Wednesday 10: Direct Action Day. Put these dates in your diary now. Tuesday 9: Demo - "Facing the Arms Traders" at Custom House station on the Docklands Light Railway, the nearest Thursday 11: Demo at Delegates' Dinner, and more. • For more information and to get involved, see the CAAT website (www.caat.org.uk) and the Disarm DSEi website www.dsei.org). Make sure this campaign is raised at colleges with freshers" weeks in early September - let us know what's happening in your area. Socialist Resistance calls on all of its supporters to mobilise for this crucial event.
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20 socal International resistance ice Summer 2003