ABOUT SDSC-UK

Why does the arms fair keep moving?

The 3CDSE arms fair at Three Counties Showground was the subject of intense opposition so it ended up moving to Telford and rebranding as SDSC-UK in 2023. After two years of protest in Shropshire and a gap in 2025, the arms fair moved again, this time to the NEC in Birmingham. Protesters were quick to oppose this location at a national venue where previous arms fairs have been cancelled due to public oposition. Shamefully, it's due to return in 2027.

Learn more: CAAT, Hide and Seek with an Arms Fair in Worcestershire|  https://caat.org.uk/news/hide-and-seek-arms-fair/ 

Who exhibits at SDSC-UK?

A range of companies are exhibiting are the arms fair. SDSC-UK are listing them in their event website. You can get a flavour of the companies attending the event here:  

The SDSC-UK showcases companies known to arm and equip the perpetrators of human rights violations and war crimes. 

To name a few, the arms fair has hosted: 

• Thales, which breached sanctions against Russia, allowing its equipment to be used in the servicing of aircraft. Thales also provided arms used against civilians in West Papua and has been the subject of multiple corruption investigations.

• BAE Systems, which not only provided fighter-bombers used against civilians in Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, but has been implicated in massive bribery cases in corrupt deals with South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

• Qioptiq, now part of Excelitas, produces night-vision scopes, weapon sights, missile guidance systems and head-up-displays for fighter jets. Its customers include the UAE and Bahrain, both notorious for repression and human rights abuses.

• L3 Harris, which has many customers and products. For example its bomb racks have been used on drones in conflicts in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, and Libya.

• Elbit Systems, which claims to provide the backbone of Israel’s drone fleet.

Indeed, all these companies have profited from Israel’s wars in Gaza, which a UN commission has determined amounts to genocide.

What's WRONG WITH THE ARMS TRADE?

Bottom line, the arms trade drives death, destruction and suffering. The UK knowingly sells arms to nations involved in armed conflict and human rights abuses, including those in Bahrain, Turkey, Egypt, Philippines, Hong Kong, Israel, Saudi Arabia and beyond.

The arms trade makes everyone less secure

Firstly, weapons are not tracked. Even if you believe some arms sales are acceptable, there is insufficent regulation. Weapons are sold and resold with impunity, meaning tere's no way to say who the end-user will be.

The arms trade squanders resources

We could convert the exertise and resources spent on arms for renewable energy and other social goods. In 2022, global military budgets hit an all-time high of $2.2 trillion, according to data released by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the eighth consecutive year of increase. This includes $112 Billion on global arms sales annually.

Not only could these resources be redirected to public goods like eradicating poverty and disease, they could be used more effectively for jobs. The UK arms industry is sustained by substantial subsidies that are not granted to other industries.

The arms trade harms the environment

Southwater Event Group says its values include: "Integrity: doing the right thing for our people, our guests and the environment."

But 'there is robust research showing the link between climate change and the arms industry. An estimated 5.5% of global emissions come from militarism, which is equivalent to 2.2 billion tons of CO2.'

https://nation.cymru/opinion/the-arms-trade-and-the-climate-crisis/ 

https://ceobs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SGRCEOBS-Estimating_Global_MIlitary_GHG_Emissions_Nov22_rev.pdf