Thousands protest against presence of Israeli companies at London arms fair

Arms companies and weapons dealers have been met with protests against Israeli participation at London’s Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair.

Police scuffled with demonstrators holding banners and shouting as more than 50 Israeli arms firms joined 1,600 exhibitors at the event at London’s Excel Centre on Tuesday.

The exhibitors include Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries, both of which are owned by the Israeli state, despite the UK government banning the official Israeli delegation from attending, given the ongoing genocide in Gaza, during which more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms producer and manufacturer of much of the Israeli army's drone force, also confirmed to trade publication Breaking Defence that it would attend.

With protesters blocking the main entrance to the exhibition centre, police escorted attendees through a side door to chants of “shame” and “free Palestine”.