The Arms Trade

The Arms Trade thrives on proxy wars. Many refugees are fleeing from armed conflict. If our MP Sally-Ann Hart really wants to reduce the number of asylum seekers coming to Britain, she could start by campaigning against the arms trade. The arms trade rewards the Rich and Powerful. The arms trade hurts the Poor and the Weak.

Arms Exports from UK

It is not easy to establish where the arms used in conflicts have originated. However, the use of UK arms in conflict zones includes the use: by Saudi Arabia in Yemen by Saddam Hussein in Iraq against Iran, (and subsequently against British troops in Iraq) by Israel in attacks on Gaza by Gaddafi's Libya against "rebels" in 2011 by the Indonesian military in East Timor, Aceh and West Papua. (Recall Hastings' Andrea Needham's brave stand against this trade). by Zimbabwe in the Democratic Republic of Congo by Argentina in the Falklands War (again against British troops)

The 2021 Defence Review

In the 2021 Defence Review - Army troops have been cut by 10,000, and there will be possible cuts to infantry fighting vehicles and tanks. However, military spending will increase by 24 billion pounds over 4 years. There will be new funding for high tech warfare including armed drones. Trident nuclear warheads will be increased from 180 to 260. There will also be 6.6 billion pounds for military research and development over the next 4 years, including a new artificial intelligence centre and a new RAF space command. 76m pounds for a National Cyber Force, the first unit dedicated to offensive acts against enemies. Foreign aid will be cut by some 4 billion pounds, including cuts to vital health research and tackling corruption in developing countries, and cuts as high as 90 per cent in some conflict zones.

Stop the Arms Fairs

The Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI), is a major arms fair run every two years by the Defence and Security Organisation, part of the UK Department of Trade and Investment. It returned to the Excel Centre in East London on 14th-17th September 2021. Supporters of Hastings against War were there to protest. We also helped to obstruct the delivery of military equipment to DSEI in 2015, in 2017, and in 2019. Click here for an account of the 2019 arms fair. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called for an end to DSEI.

Protesters Not Guilty

Eight activists arrested for resisting DSEI in 2015 were found Not Guilty on the grounds that they were seeking to prevent a greater crime. In June 2021 the Supreme Court quashed the conviction of four protesters for blocking an approach road to the DSEI arms fair in 2017.

Stop Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia

In June 2018 the UK Court of Appeal ruled that the export of fighter jets, missiles and bombs made in the UK, for use in Yemen, was illegal. This was not the end. The Government did not accept the verdict and was granted permission to take the case to the Supreme Court - at the taxpayers' expense. Meanwhile the Government has announced its decision to continue licensing arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen. They acknowledge that there have been hundreds of concerning incidents, including the bombing of homes, schools, hospitals and markets, killing thousands of civilians. Yet they have now decided that these are only "isolated incidents" and resumed licensing arms to Saudi Arabia for use in the war in Yemen. This war has been responsible for the world's worst humanitarian crisis. More than 24 million people need urgent assistance. Now the people of Yemen are facing the challenge of coronavirus, with 1 million cases predicted in a country where the health system is on the brink of collapse, making it extremely difficult for humanitarian workers and local communities to save lives. The UK Government championed earlier peace talks and is sending generous amounts of aid to help people in need. However, continued arms sales are fuelling the war and destroying chances of peace.