Quakers joined other peace campaigners in two days of protest to draw attention to a controversial arms fair hosted at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) near Birmingham. Pete Doubtfire, coordinator of our project Peace Hub, shares his reflections:

Attendees of a spring fair and ice-cream show were kept unaware by the NEC that a weapons fair was happening just a few halls away. A range of creative responses from campaigners helped bring this hidden arms fair into visibility, a mock drone attack ‘die-in’, street theatre from the Red Rebels, a silent Quaker vigil, Christian-led prayers and drumming. The video below gives a sense of the day:

Being on private land made speaking truth to power tricky – an area for protest was designated by the venue security, near to where the arms fair was happening, sending a message to delegates that they cannot hide and get away with business as usual. However, this area was far from attendees of the other events, and restrictive conditions were applied, not allowing protestors into the normally public areas of the NEC, and escorting us to the toilets.

While the sense of being shadowed by security and penned-in when we had done nothing wrong was unpleasant, it clearly showed that the venue is wary of the negative associations of hosting the arms trade, and wanted to keep this as quiet as possible. Fortunately, leafletters just outside the NEC’s boundaries by the rail station were able to engage attendees of the spring fair and ice-cream shows, many of whom were horrified to learn what was happening nearby. The die-in took place at a similar location as people were leaving the venue, and the testimony of people affected by drones and air-strikes in Gaza were read.

The road to opposing the arms trade is long, but the connections and community we build along the way have been valuable in themselves, and the campaign continues in the knowledge that this arms fair has had to leave two other Midlands venues already.

Friends can write to the CEO of the NEC Group Paul Reeve asking them to stop hosting the arms fair, and email West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker asking him to speak out.

A reflection on the event will be the focus of this month’s Peace Hub Focus Group – any Friends who would like to find out more or share ideas on witness against the arms trade are welcome to join: online Wednesday 25th February 6pm. Contact our Peace Hub Coordinator for details of how to join: office@peacehub.org.uk / 07718937156.

Photos & Video: Zoe Broughton.