Jo Hindley reflects on a day of creative witness and protest at an arms fair in neighbouring Shropshire.

An estimated 200 people from anti arms trade groups including Quakers gathered in fresh snow and bright sunshine early on Wednesday 20th November 2024 at the gates of Telford International Centre who were hosting a 3 day arms fair: “SDSC-UK” (Specialist Defence and Security Convention UK).

People joined from across Central England / the West Midlands, Worcestershire and Shropshire, Gloucestershire, Cumbria, Manchester & Warrington, Wales and Cornwall. The Stop SDSC coalition includes our project Peace Hub; Campaign Against Arms Trade; South Staffordshire Palestine Solidarity; Drone Wars; Stop the War Coalition and Extinction Rebellion.

SDSC (formerly the “3CDSE”, Three Counties Defence and Security Expo) featured arms companies including:  

• Elbit Systems – manufacturer of bombs, mortars and drones, and Israel’s largest privately owned arms company;
• L3 Harris – maker of surveillance, night vision and targeting equipment and supplier of bomb release mechanisms for Israel’s F35 aircraft, which has been confirmed as being involved in the deaths of civilians in Gaza;
• Ultra Electronics – which has been granted numerous arms export licences to Israel by the UK Government and has been involved in the development of the F35 warplane.

The day of creative protest included speeches, a Quaker Meeting for Worship, sharing food, the visitation of the XR Birmingham Peace Dove, and a “die-in” outside the Telford shopping centre. A dignified and profoundly moving symbolic ritual was led by the Red Rebels, laying shrouded infant “corpses” at the foot of an olive tree on a grass bank opposite and in direct view of the International Centre. In the gathered silence a single drum tapped an accompaniment and the names of infants aged under one year who have been killed by weapons deployed in Gaza were read aloud. 

The police searched one couple racialised as white on suspicion that they might be planning to lock on to the gates,  discovering only their packed lunch. No arrests were made. 

Six people, including four Central England Quakers, who were arrested for chaining onto each other at the gates of the SDSC in November 2023 “attended” in puppet form as their bail conditions prevented them attending in person. Their trial set for May 2024 was postponed. It is currently scheduled for three days from Monday 20th January 2025 at Walsall Crown Court.

Those present wrote postcards to the director of the Telford International Centre, asking them not to host the arms fair again in 2025. Some of these are still available for you to send a message – contact Peace Hub if you would like to join this action, or be part of future work to persuade the centre not to host the arms fair in future.

Photo: the Red Rebels’ symbolic action. Credit: Kate Gilbert