Guide:
DSEi
a publication to explain the reasons behind the Fiesta
BRITAIN HOSTS TWO
major arms fairs, COPEX and DSEi.
COPEX (Contingency
Operations and Procurement
Exhibition) sells equipment for
eternal repression - everything
a secret police officer would
wish to lay their hands on.
DSEi is about serious weaponry,
big guns, bombs, boats and
so on. Although the staging of
the exhibition is in the hands
of Spearhead PGI (a private
company who specialise in
putting on defence and aviation
events), it is firmly a Ministry
of Defence (MoD) affair.
According to the official
blurb, "DSEi attracts over 900
exhibitors from over 40 countries
occupying some
250,000ft2 net exhibit space ...
Over 20,000 invited defence
industry visitors attend."
One important component of
the Exhibition is its conference,
this year entitled
"Convergence: Technology,
Globalisation and Coalition", a
principal theme being the
Globalisation of the Defence
Industry. The Conference will
be held on 12 and 13
September 2001.
At the last DSEi in 1999 CAAT
found two exhibitors openly
flogging anti-personnel landmines.
This was totally illegal,
a fact that seemed to have
passed the large number of
MoD police officers present by.
Mind you, the moral tone of
the exhibition could have been
discerned by the invite
Indonesia received, just as
militias armed and trained by
their military were running
amok in East Timor. At the
time of writing the countries
invited to attend are unknown,
but a list of exhibitors can be
found here.
The previous DSEi was held
mainly on MoD land near
Chertsey in Surrey, with some
boats moored at London
Docklands. This year the entire
thing has been moved to
Docklands, the newly built Excel
Centre. Excel is situated on the
Royal Victoria Dock, snugly
close to London City Airport, and
within sight of Canary Wharf
and the Dome. Curiously, Excel
seem to have neglected to mention
DSEi in some of their listings.
Excel is protected
to the north by both
Docklands Light Railway and
BR rail lines, and to the south
by the dock. Its main entrance
is to the west, but there is also
a back entrance at the east
end. The dock will be used to
show off war ships. Access to
the dock for such ships is via a
swing bridge, Connaught
Bridge.
The Centre is located near
some of London's most neglected
housing estates, in
Canning Town. Please remember
that these communities
have put up with enough
attacks from outside. Respect
the area and its residents.
Bear in mind that there is a
strong possibility that the
police and fascist groups will
attempt to infiltrate the Fiesta.
If someone is trying to incite
you into an action bear in mind
its possible impact on the aims
of the action, and on the local
community.
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