What does the world's largest arms market look like? Although the ARGIA reader can't see it inside, because ordinary people who don't have a special invitation don't have access, if you get closer to the portal, you'll find a sophisticated airplane that overlooks the autumn sun in England. You’ll also find warships tied at the Royal Victoria Dock so that the 34,000 salespeople and shoppers approaching the gigantic shipowner will celebrate their business at dusk with cocktails.

The STAF Stop The Arms Fair movement explains that if you manage to penetrate above security barriers, you would see with your own eyes drones, tanks, rifles, helicopters, armed cars, tear gas, bombs and missiles sold there. Bullets are exhibited in splendid jalons and a whimsical dictator can find his own golden pistol with gold. Here the dictators are accompanied by British officials and military personnel.

The military shows their teams. A room may look like a bombed street. Beyond that you can try to climb into an armor or sit behind a canyon, surrounded by a murmur of serene conversations.

However, despite this quiet aspect, the DSEIS is not a good meeting, STAF activists say. By arguing that the equipment Israel exhibits in its pavilion is “proven in battle,” what it really shows is that it is tested on the skin of the Palestinians. Millions of pounds of public money have been drained in the spectacular warships. Today you can find the twin of the radiant inlet airplane bombing schools and hospitals in Yemen adorned with symbols from Saudi Arabia.

Every two years, the world's largest SISD arms market opens its doors. The first edition kicked off on September 11, 2001 -- just the same day that the Islamists flew in the Twin Towers of New York. Several witnesses, present at the London Fair, commented on how mind-blowing it was to see live images of the attacks from those halls hit with the most modern weapons.

When protests started from the outset, the organizers of the 2003 fair demanded that cluster bombs that are scattered in the air in many small bombs should not be brought, precisely because in the United Kingdom there was a lot of controversy about those munitions that kill civilians. However, several media outlets have already shown on more than one stand the sale of these lethal bombs, famous for the Iraq war.

In 2007, the municipality of Newham, where the exhibition fair is located, asked for its suspension because it does not seem moral until September 11 to celebrate a large arms fair in a neighborhood where half of the population has been fleeing countries at war. The actions of the anti-war movement have also been increasing during those years, but they have not blurred the success of the fair in the war industry.

Devices to kill Ontsa

The fair is organized by the company Clarion Events. The trade fairs organized in 50 countries are increasingly related to security issues: Borderpol with border security, Bahrain's military exhibition, the electronic war in Lausanne...

As announced by the organizers of the DSEI on its website, the sessions and seminars will be divided as stands in five blocks: The Air War, the Earth, the Navy, the Security and the Joint, the Saski Naski of many parts of the war (communications, electronic war, logistics, war medicine…). A total of 34,000 qualified visitors are expected, knowing that over the past year 30,000 were reached, “including defence ministers, the military and the international armed forces, the main players in the industry and private companies.” In the 2015 edition 42 pavilions were counted, 2,900 VIP characters arrived from 84 countries, visitors from 108 countries...

Sellers are well classified on the web, at the head of all the Top Ten group of the world arms trade: Lockheed Martin (absolute winner), Boeing, BAE Systems, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Airbus, United Technologies, Leonardo and L2 Tecnologies. Next to them will be the big scientific companies that we citizens do not link to war, like Fujitsu in Canon… They will offer countless services and products in the most modern versions, whether they be hand weapons, missiles, airplanes, tanks, warships, electronic devices or public control systems.

“The weapons sold here – say the activists of the Stop The Arms Fair campaign – are the fuel of deaths, destruction and injustices caused by the military, police and border guards around the world. Here the war begins, and here we can work to keep it.”

A wide range of activities have been organised since the end of August in London. Between September 4 and 11, the Occupy DSEI camp was to be held in the vicinity of the ferileku, highlighting each day a component. On day 4, “Don’t build more Israel.” Day 5 “Don’t believe in war” (No Faith in War), pacifying the prayers, songs and other actions of activists from different religions and beliefs. On Day 6, against nuclear weapons, against the restoration of Trident atomic missiles, and against the entry of military equipment into the enclosure. That same day, “Guns instead of Renewables,” claiming jobs instead of death. On Day 7, “Freedom to move for people, not for weapons” will be organized by immigrants, feminists and queer. On Day 8, lectures in the atrium of the fairgrounds, taught by intellectuals and academics.

September 9 has been declared the central day against arms trafficking organised on the DSEI portal with music of all kinds, theatre, art exhibitions and plentiful carnivals. Day 10 “War has to stay here”, a day to inform citizens about the trade fair and the arms trade. On the 11th, silent night in solidarity with the victims of world wars, a morning floral offering in the waters of the pier where warships are sold.

In September 2015, several of the thousands of military and executive officers who came to buy or sell arms found a special reception committee at the airport itself: apparently the attendees who had come to facilitate travel to the fair were anti-war activists and had to endure the complaints on the metro as they walked to their ships. The result is in video on the internet: “Meeting and greeting arms dealers #stopdsei”.