Security tight as activists pledge to disrupt arms show

British police were mounting a massive security operation as Europe’s biggest arms show was getting under way today.

Scotland Yard said 61 people were arrested ahead of the Defence Systems & Equipment International (DSEi) event opening today at the ExCel Centre in east London’s Royal Docks.

The arrests came as anti-arms activists pledged to mount the biggest ever demonstrations in an effort to disrupt the show.

Military top brass and defence ministers from a number of countries including Algeria, Angola, Colombia, Pakistan and India were expected to attend the show, which lasts until Friday, to see exhibits from some 950 companies.

The event will showcase a range of military hardware from around the globe to an elite group of buyers.

Six warships will be docked alongside the centre and a Eurofighter Typhoon jet fighter and an Apache attack helicopter will be in the exhibition hall.

Several companies plan to show details of systems that can be installed on civil aircraft to confuse surface-to-air missiles.

The military might on display will be matched by a heavy security presence, as police seek to prevent anti-arms activists from disrupting the event.

The officer in charge of policing said last week that he was concerned that protests by about 60 anti-arms and anti-globalisation groups could turn into a riot.

Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Andy Trotter said: “Our concern would be if the demonstration turns into riots or damage and we have got to be prepared to deal with that.”

More than 2,600 security guards and officers will be at the site, including 25 British Ministry of Defence (MoD) police officers who will be inside the exhibition centre.

The policing bill will run to more than £1m (€1.42m) but the show’s organisers, Spearhead Exhibitions, will not be contributing, Mr Trotter said.

Two protesters demonstrating ahead of the show were arrested by police yesterday on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

It brings the total number of people detained during the last seven days to 61. A total of 31 people were arrested on Monday last week, two on Thursday, three on Friday and 17 on Saturday.

The remainder of the arrests have not been directly related to any incident but include offences of driving without insurance, other vehicle-related matters and people wanted for other offences.

A candle-lit vigil held outside the fair passed off last night without violent confrontation.

A spokesman for protest group the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) said that between 30 and 40 people had attended the event billed as “a silent witness against the arms trade”.

The campaign has pledged that protests at this year’s DSEi event will be the largest anti-arms trade demonstrations.

A spokesman said the group would attempt to disrupt the event in a number of ways, including holding a procession to the east London venue this morning.

Some individuals were expected to try to gain access to high-security event, the spokesman said, but the CAAT action would be non-violent.

“This arms fair is a bringing together of companies and countries with terrible track records,” he said.

“First and foremost we hope we will get it cancelled, or create a public outcry big enough to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Other groups were also said to be planning disruptions.

Reclaim the Streets is due to hold a street party in the Docklands area tomorrow – which has been designated a day of “wildcat” direct action by activists.

On the same day, a group known as Destroy DSEi was planning to set up a series of blockades around the event.

The exhibition was being opened by British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon this morning.

A spokesman for DSEi insisted the event was not an arms fair.

“This is an exhibition, mainly for contractors and sub-contractors. It’s an industry-to-industry show,” he said.

Every exhibitor signed a form saying it would not bring illegal weapons systems, and these were monitored by the MoD, he said.

The four-day show coincides with the second anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, but organisers will not be marking the anniversary in any way, at the request of the US embassy.

About half the exhibitors are British firms, with 20% from the US and the remainder from other Nato countries.

A spokesman for the MoD’s Defence Export Services Organisation said: “We have strict export licence criteria and going to the exhibition in no way implies that you can buy the equipment.

“Defence brings £5bn (€7.12bn) a year to the UK and benefits between 70,000 and 100,000 jobs.”

The UK is the world’s second largest arms exporter, with about a fifth of contracts placed globally, compared with 32% held by the US.