WORLD’S LARGEST ARMS FAIL
AS SchNEWS PADDLES IN THE MURKY WATERS OF THE ARMS TRADE
This week London’s Excel Centre has been hosting the biennial death-fest DSEi – the world’s largest arms fair. Part funded and organised by the British government, DSEi is the place where warmongers tool up on the latest guns ‘n’ ammo. Both the weapons used by Colonel Gaddafi and those used against him are on sale at DSEi. The UK exported £33.8m of military and related products to Libya between Oct 2009 and Oct 2010.
This year the highlight of the weapons wankathon got stopped in its tracks before it even reached the fair. Six protesters in inflatable dingies launched themselves into the path of the HMS Dauntless last Saturday as it was on its way to Victoria Docks ahead of DSEI, causing it to come to an unscheduled stop in the waters near Barking, Dagenham. It finally docked some 4 hours later. Of the 6 protesters, one got away and the other 5 were briefly detained by the river police.
The Dauntless is a Type 45 Destroyer, one of the Royal Navy’s latest, most high-tech battleships, as well as one of the newest, commissioned just last year. Supposedly able to track and destroy jet fighters and other warships, it must have been embarrassing for the captain to be caught by surprise by the tiny blowup flotilla. No doubt it will now be retrofitted with anti-inflatable technology.
DSEi wouldn’t be DSEi without several days of creative non-violent protest and a massive pig-fest, and Indymedia have a timeline of the entire thing. (See http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/09/484571.html)
The Free 