Christian peace activists pray and protest at world's biggest arms fair

On Tuesday morning, members of Christian peace groups Put Down the Sword and the London Catholic Worker joined other campaigners to successfully block service roads leading to the Excel Centre in east London where the Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair, billed as 'the world's leading defense & security event' is due to open on 12 September. Some activists blocked a road by abseiling off a bridge.

The campaigners' intention was to disrupt the set up of the arms fair and protest about the massive sale of weapons to governments and 'the private security sector' - regardless of their human rights record. Weapons sold in London have been used to kill civilians around the world in countries such as Yemen. As well as being officially bought by governments around the world, many arms made in England end up in the hands of terror groups such as ISIS, Al Quada, Boko Haram and the Taliban.

During the blockade a prayer space decorated with prayer flags and banners was established by the side of the road. While the road was blocked for almost two hours, faith groups from the Quakers, Pax Christi, Wake Up, Anglican Pacifist Fellowship said prayers and bore witness. Several wheelchair-bound participants carrying placards also slowed up traffic entering the centre. (further reports to follow).

There were several arrests. The names of those who took part in the direct action were Chris Cole, 53, of Oxford, and Nora Ziegler 26, Joanna Frew 38, and Henrietta Cullinan 56 all from London.

Chris Cole said: "At a time when war has become so normalised that it has faded into the background, it's more important than ever that we say a clear and simple 'no more war preparations."

Joanna Frew said: "Like Theresa May, I am a vicar's daughter. But unlike Theresa May, I see the principles of the Christian faith as an active commitment to non-violence. Jesus risked ridicule, imprisonment, torture and, ultimately, a political death sentence to teach us radical non-violence and peacemaking.

"The arms fair, supported by Theresa May's government, contributes to war, violence and oppression in countries where conflict and suffering are beyond the imaginable, such as Yemen, Bahrain and Israel-Palestine. DSEI also helps the border security industry to push equipment and ideas that deal with migration as a crime that needs to be stopped. The Bible is full of examples of welcoming the stranger and providing hospitality. We are here to say that this is the kind of welcome we want to see, not one for dictators and murderous regimes."

Fr Martin Newell cp, from Birmingham said: "Pope Francis said the arms trade is an evil that must be stopped. We're trying to stop it."

Sr Katrina Alton CSJP, from Nottingham added: "To call myself a Jesus follower means I must love my enemy and do all I can to actively resist the preparations for war. This is not a passive thing. War starts here, but it can end here."

Simon Watson wrote: "I am a Quaker and member of the Catholic Worker movement. I am a music teacher and gardener. As a Christian I am compelled to follow Jesus who always rejected the way of violence and war. The DSEI arms fair is one of the worst examples of greed, causing people to distance themselves from the suffering of others--suffering they facilitate by the sale of weapons to the tyrannical regimes of the world. As a past student of Middle Eastern cultures at the School of Oriental and African Studies, I enjoyed the hospitality of people from Yemen, Pakistan, Palestine and Kurdistan. It is heartbreaking to know these same peoples are now the victims of the military hardware sold at this arms fair. There is clear and credible evidence that illegal activity has been conducted at the arms fair. We urge police and the government to focus their efforts on the real criminals, and not protect and play host to them."