Christians push for end to arms fair
-13/06/05
Christians in the London borough of Newham are attempting to bring an end to the arms fair that takes place in the borough every two years.
Alan Craig, a local Councillor and sole Opposition member of Newham Council, is pressing Mayor Sir Robin Wales to meet with ExCel, the Ministry of Defence, event organisers Spearhead and with DSEi to ensure the fair in September is the last to be held in Newham.
In the past, countries invited in the arms fair have included some with the worst records of human rights violations: Indonesia (1999), Colombia (2001) and Saudi Arabia (three times running).
The event takes place behind security fences and police lines. The public are not invited.
Nearly 1,000 arms companies congregate in London’s Docklands to sell arms, bombs and other weapons to buyers from all over the world. Some of these weapons are supplied to some of the worst regions of conflict in the world.
In a motion to be debated at the next full meeting of Newham Council on 20th June, Cllr Craig who is also the leader of the Christian People’s Alliance, says the arms fair is immoral and attracts repressive regimes.
“All sorts of undemocratic and repressive regimes – such as Saudi Arabia – come to Newham to buy weaponry,” said Alan Craig. “This is unacceptable, as is the havoc and disruption it causes by attracting many hundreds of angry demonstrators to the borough.”
Craig’s office however denies that he was distancing himself from Christians and others who regularly protest at the arms fair, although he is drawing attention to the extreme disruption to the life of the borough especially for those who live around ExCel in Canning Town, Custom House and Royal Docks.
The Christian Peoples Alliance has called on the mayor to publicly represent the people of Newham at a peaceful candle-lit vigil against the arms fair to be held at ExCel on 12th September.
“Our directly-elected mayor has a key role in representing Newham residents so it’s vital he attends the vigil,” said Cllr Craig.
“If he works actively in public and private to stop the arms fair, it will at least put heavy pressure on the arms industry to hold the event in a more appropriate location away from highly-populated areas like Newham. I hope the event would be cancelled outright.”
This will be the second motion that Craig had tabled on the subject.
Last year he tabled a similar motion which the council passed unuanimously.