On 16 March, a big UK arms fair is being held in Cardiff, and people are planning to resist it.
According to its website, DPRTE (the Defence Procurement, Research, Technology and Exportability exhibition) is the “UK’s Premier Defense Procurement Event” and is now being hosted annually at Cardiff Motorpoint Arena. They hosted the arms fair in Cardiff for the first time in October 2014, with exhibitors including BAE Systems, the world’s 3rd largest arms producer, whose weapons are currently being used in the Saudi attacks on Yemen.
There has been active opposition to DPRTE since 2013. The arms fair had originally been hosted at the UWE campus in Bristol, but was driven out by determined resistance; and has now moved to Cardiff. The protests involved a variety of actions, including blockading the UWE north entrance, causing queues trailing back along the A4174.
What you can do:
- Join the comms blockade on Wednesday 10 February and contact Motorpoint Arena asking them not to host the arms fair.
- Send a letter asking those performing at Motorpoint Arena to boycott it
- Take part in the picket at Motorpoint Arena and Babcock International on 5 March
- Join the protests on Wednesday 16th March 2016.
Find out more from the Stop the Cardiff Arms Fair website and email on: stopcardiffarmsfair at riseup dot net
Protests are being organised and supported by:
Stop the Cardiff Arms Fair / Na i Ffair Arfau Caerdydd supported by the Anarchist Action Network, Smash EDO, Campaign Against the Arms Trade and South Wales Anarchists
Members of a new group of Cymdeithas y Cymod (Fellowship of Reconciliation) in Cardiff will be joining the protest. We may be quite a small group, but we will have a banner and laminated posters with ‘Cymdeithas y Cymod: NA i Arfau Rhyfel’ [‘NO to Weapons of War} on them. ?Sorry that this comes little and late, but it’s taken us since December to get set up!