Email Sadiq Khan to demand he acts to stop DSEI

This September, DSEI, one of the world’s largest arms fair, returns to the Excel Centre in Newham, London. At DSEI, deadly weapons and military technology will be marketed to representatives of human rights abusing states, including apartheid Israel.

Sadiq Khan has previously committed to explore “all possible options to end it being hosted in the city.” But the fair is scheduled to return. Write to him and demand he acts on his pledge and prevents DSEI being hosted in London later this year.

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Dear Mayor Sadiq Khan, 
This September, DSEI, one of the world’s largest arms fair, returns to the Excel Centre in Newham, London. At DSEI, deadly weapons and military technology will be marketed to representatives of human rights abusing states, including Israel. 
You have previously rightly outlined your opposition to DSEI due to its role in perpetuating human rights abuses. In your last election manifesto you committed to explore “all possible options to end it being hosted in the city.” I am writing to ask you to act on this pledge to prevent DSEI being hosted in London later this year.
Unless you act London will play host to delegations from a range of human rights abusing states, who meet with international arms companies who produce weapons and military technology used to target civilian populations around the world, including Palestinians.
Among the arms companies exhibiting at DSEI in 2021 was Elbit Systems. It supplies 85% of UAV’s (drones) used by the Israeli army, including it its indiscriminate bombing campaigns of the besieged Gaza strip. Elbit Systems has been subject to divestment and exclusion by a range of financial institutions due its manufacture of weaponry used to violate human rights, and its involvement in banned cluster munitions.
In addition, US-based arms manufacturer General Dynamics also exhibited in 2021. It supplies components and technologies integrated into Israel’s fighter jets and combat vehicles – both used in Israel’s militarised attacks against Palestinians. Armoured combat vehicles are used as part of Israel’s deadly military invasions of cities in the occupied West Bank, which have killed scores of Palestinians already this year.
Elbit Systems and General Dynamics are just two of the hundreds of arms companies, producing and selling weapons and military technology used to violate human rights, who are likely to attend DSEI 2023.
In addition, representatives of the Israeli military will likely attend. This year alone, Israeli forces have killed dozens of Palestinians as part of an onslaught on Palestinians resisting Israel’s regime of military occupation and apartheid. The UN Human Rights Council resolved last year that states should not transfer arms to Israel because of its systematic violations of human rights. Why are representatives of the state responsible for these crimes being welcomed to London to do business with arms dealers profiting from the sale of lethal weaponry?
Many Palestinians call London their home— they have often experienced first-hand the armed violence inflicted by the Israeli military, or watched in horror as it has impacted their families and friends back home. Yet, as their representative, you have not been able to stop an event contributing to the violence that they and their community face. Ending this heinous event must be at the top of your agenda.
I’m asking you to please take the following actions to prevent the DSEI taking place:
<ol>
<li>Write to the event organisers, Clarion Events, to let it know, on behalf of residents of the City, that the fair is unwelcome.</li>
<li>Use your position to publicly speak out against the fair.</li>
<li>Use the Mayor’s discretion to recover the costs of policing the event from DSEI’s organisers.</li>
<li>Tell the Excel Centre that no further GLA or Mayoral events will be held there while it continues to host DSEI.</li>
<li>Meet with campaigning groups working to oppose the fair to discuss further actions you can take to ensure the event does not go ahead.</li>
</ol>

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Email Sadiq Khan to demand he acts to stop DSEI