Activism, People
by Phoenix Media Co-operative

DSEI protest Day 3: Military vehicles occupied

A protester sits on top of a military vehicle being taken into the DSEI arms fair in London as police stand guard

Resistance against the Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair gathered momentum today, as people tried to block military equipment from being taken into the arms fair.

The theme of the day was demilitarising education. Stop the Arms Fair tweeted:

The day began with folks blocking the road at the East Gate with dancing and hula hoops:

But hundreds of police were on hand to clear the road and make sure vehicles could get in to set up the fair:

A truck carrying several armoured military vehicles attempted to enter the ExCeL centre, somehow one of the demonstrators managed to scale the truck and delay it entering the fair:

After the road was cleared, cops lined the pavement to protect the weaponry being brought into ExCeL. This video shows demonstrators calling out the haulage companies who are allowing their vehicles to be used in the setup of the arms fair:

Later on, workshops were held outside the ExCeL’s East Gate on the theme of decolonising education:

And, as night drew in over the protest camp, the resistance to the arms fair didn’t stop. Protesters erected a tent in the road, blocking access to the East Gate yet again.

Against all the odds, the resistance against the goings on at ExCeL has managed to delay the setup of the arms fair every day this week so far. There are several more days of action planned before DSEI is scheduled to begin, and people are calling for support.

Here’s what’s planned for tomorrow:

Stay tuned via our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages for more live updates from the ground. We are very grateful to have received some financial support from Stop the Arms Fair in order to report the actions against DSEI from 6 to 17 September.

Featured image supplied to Phoenix Media Co-op, used with permission