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Arms Trade
including DSEi Arms Fairs. See also Smash EDO

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9th May 2008 | Issue 631- HECKLER AT THE BACK - Weapons corporation Heckler & Koch are finding that their gun storage warehouse in Nottingham is becoming a target for anti-arms trade campaigners...

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7th September 2007 | Issue 602 - LAST THROW OF THE DSEi? - Killing people in conflict zones is a profitable business (seven million since 1989, with 75% of those civilians). If it wasn’t, then the Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEi) wouldn’t be around. As one of the word’s biggest arms fairs, organisers promise that they’ll be something for everyone whether army, navy, air force or self-employed mercenary.

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16th March 2007 | Issue 580 - RADIOACTIVISTS - Protests at Faslane Naval Base - where Trident armed nuclear submarines are held - against the £76bn cost of replacing Trident, which the British govt plan to do...

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18th November 2005 | Issue 521 - LOOSING THEIR FACULTIES - UK Universities are increasingly turning to the corporate sector, including the arms industry, to sustain themselves financially. Currently 67 UK universities hold significant investments in arms companies, and in return arms companies are investing in universities, which involves sponsoring departments and research.

9th September 2005 | Issue 511 - BOMBS AWAY - DSEi is the showcase of the British “defence industry”. Occurring every two years it is “the largest tri-service exhibition in the world.” In other words if you want to kill someone from the land, sea or air – they’ve got it.

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12th September 2003 | Issue 422 - ARMLESS FUN - “It is like any other trade exhibition. It is like the motor show in Birmingham or exhibitions at Earls Court. This happens to be for the defence industry.”
- Paul Beaver, spokesperson for DSEi organisers Spearhead.

Now - while SchNEWS knows that cars can kill and aren’t too good for the environment we reckon that Apache fighter jets, landmines and cluster bombs are just a tad more harmful to civilians. This is the sort of euphemistic blather coming from the suits this week at Europe’s biggest arms fair - Defence Systems and Equipment International (DSEi).

11th July 2003 | Issue 414

2nd May 2003 | Issue 402/3 - BOMBS 'R' US - A target of this year's Mayday protests were the London offices of Lockheed Martin - the world’s largest weapons manufacturer. The company’s share prices rocketed after September 11th and with their fighter jets very busy during the invasion of Iraq, they’ve reported a doubling of profits in the first few months of this year.

31st May 2002 | Issue 357/8 - KASHMIR SWEATER - “24,000 people, mostly children, die from poverty every day. This is the true terrorism and it is aided and abetted by politicians from rich, privileged and powerful countries who, in the cause of profit and reigning respectability, are salesman of death.” - John Pilger.

The politicians he's referring to include Tony Blair, who in the lead up to the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan was on the subcontinent... as a peace keeper? No - selling British arms to both sides - because that's his job isn't it...

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14th September 2001 | Issue 322 - VICIOUS CIRCLE - While the SchNEWS crew with hundreds of other protestors were being hemmed in by police for the bare faced cheek of wanting to shut down the DSEi Arms Fair, news came filtering through of the attacks on the World Trade Centre towers and the Pentagon...

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7th September 2001 | Issue 321- ALL THE GUN OF THE FAIR - “The price of one British Aerospace Hawk Jet is roughly the amount needed to provide 1.5 million people in the third world with fresh water for life.” - Campaign Against the Arms Trade.

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17th August, 2001 | Issue 318 - for the forthcoming DSEi Arms Fair 2001 at the Excell Centre, Docklands, East London.