Christian councillor to lead protest against Docklands arms fair

Cllr Alan Craig, leader of the Christian People's Alliance party and sole Opposition member of Newham Council for Canning Town, is to lead protests by his local constituents against the DSEi Arms Fair at a mass rally in London's Docklands tomorrow. The Arms Fair at ExCel Exhibition Centre is to be significantly bigger than previous years and is the world's largest and fastest growing tri-service defence exhibition according to organisers, DSEi. The Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) is supporting the protests of local residents with a mass rally. Cllr Craig, who will be speaking at the rally, said: "The arms fair does the country no good and, accompanying our disastrous and tragic attack on Iraq, this just helps get Britain labelled as militaristic, money-minded and hypocritical. We further diminish any moral standing in the world that our country once had. "And the local residents of Canning Town who I represent suffer from appalling disruption of their daily lives. My family and I live less than a mile from ExCel, which lies in part within my electoral ward, and we know from previous experience how difficult life will be next week. "The arms fair does Newham as a whole no good either. We look forward to the 2020 Olympics as the main host borough, and we are proud that the internationally famous Motor and Boat Shows have recently been won for ExCel from Birmingham and Earls Court. Instead of these healthy exciting events, we now sully ourselves with a grubby death-dealing show like the arms fair." In June, Alan Craig proposed a motion at Newham Council, condemning the arms fair for "providing opportunity for some of the world's most dictatorial and repressive regimes to come to Newham to buy weaponry that may be used against their own people" and demanding that the arms fair should not be held in the borough in the future. It was unanimously passed. Alan Craig will tell the rally: "Jesus Christ told us, 'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.' Warmongers are never welcome." CPA Leader, Cllr Alan Craig, resigned from being a company chief executive to invest two decades working in Canning Town in London's East End, first with young offenders as warden of an after-care home on their release from prison, and then as director of the Mayflower Centre. Elected for the CPA in 2002 he is sole opposition member to Labour in Newham. A candlelit prayers vigil will take place near the arms show this evening. There will be prayer vigils and peaceful demonstrations in Docklands throughout the arms fair. For up-to-date details check ICN Listings or see: www.caat.org.uk