Disarm DSEi Protests
-
-
- JasonNParkinson
- added this
Tuesday 8 and Thursday 10 September 2009: Anti-arms campaigners took to the streets of London to protest the bi-annual Defence Systems and Equipment International weapons convention (DSEi).
In contrast to previous year's protests, campaigners from Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) to activists from the Brighton-based Smash ITT/EDO campaign targeted the financial backers of the arms trade.
Tuesday saw a tour of London's financial district to hammer on the windows and throw shoes at the likes of Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Lloyds, British Telecom and Axa, where an attempt to storm the foyer left the main door somewhat shattered.
Thursday evening is traditionally the arms dealer's dinner, but this year the event was moved from the usual venue, the Dorchester hotel, to the Park Lane Hilton because Tony Blair's wife, Cherie, was holding her own dinner event.
The protest was entirely peaceful, if somewhat noisy - as you would expect a noise demo to be - but this changed (as the video shows) when private security - either from the Hilton or from the arms dealers themselves - attacked the protest. Section 14 of the Public Order Act was invoked and police tried to remove the 30 or so protestors to put them in a caged area, more commonly known as a "pen".
The protestors resorted to a sit-down demo. Some were removed and dragged away. At least eight were arrested.
Disarm DSEi Campaign
http://www.dsei.org/
Blog
http://jasonnparkinson.blogspot.com/
In contrast to previous year's protests, campaigners from Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) to activists from the Brighton-based Smash ITT/EDO campaign targeted the financial backers of the arms trade.
Tuesday saw a tour of London's financial district to hammer on the windows and throw shoes at the likes of Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays, Lloyds, British Telecom and Axa, where an attempt to storm the foyer left the main door somewhat shattered.
Thursday evening is traditionally the arms dealer's dinner, but this year the event was moved from the usual venue, the Dorchester hotel, to the Park Lane Hilton because Tony Blair's wife, Cherie, was holding her own dinner event.
The protest was entirely peaceful, if somewhat noisy - as you would expect a noise demo to be - but this changed (as the video shows) when private security - either from the Hilton or from the arms dealers themselves - attacked the protest. Section 14 of the Public Order Act was invoked and police tried to remove the 30 or so protestors to put them in a caged area, more commonly known as a "pen".
The protestors resorted to a sit-down demo. Some were removed and dragged away. At least eight were arrested.
Disarm DSEi Campaign
http://www.dsei.org/
Blog
http://jasonnparkinson.blogspot.com/
-
- groups:
- Upstream, VC2 Top Contenders UK
-
- credits:
- JasonNParkinson Film and Edit, da100thmonkey Additional Footage
