Arms fair opponents "will not negotiate" with police

Disarm DSEi plans to attempt to stop weapons making their way to the Excel exhibition by Tuesday, and is drumming up support for a mass protest against the banks in the City of London on that day.

Calls for more discussion between police and protesters have risen in volume since the fallout from the G20 clashes in April. In response to the letter, the Metropolitan Police told The Wharf that the right to protest was "a fundamental element of democracy", but that it would "proportionately respond to any protest activity".

In its letter, Disarm DSEi claims not negotiating with police is a "founding principle" of the group, but that the right to protest is a civil liberty "not afforded to many of the citizens of the countries the UK sells arms to".

It said: "The UK government supports the global arms trade, and it controls the police force - ensuring that the arms dealers reach their destinations and their investors are not embarrassed or inconvenienced will always come before allowing public dissent.

"However, even if we wished to negotiate, we are not in a position to do so. We do not believe a protest is controlled by organisers and stewards, but by the will and feeling of the crowd.

"We are facilitating a protest but we are not in control of any of the actions undertaken by the participants, nor do we want to be. We cannot make any commitments and we cannot undertake to condone or condemn any particularly form of action.

"Experience at previous DSEi protests has led us to mistrust the police. DSEi was the protest where the police began to make use of Section 44 Terrorism Act searches. DSEi policing has been violent, intimidating, and repressive. Use of kettling has been widespread, as have arbitrary arrests and harassment of "known" activists.

"Furthermore, there are no individuals within the collective who are willing to identify themselves as an "organiser" of this protest. Previous experience has shown such people are targeted by the police for further harassment and intimidation, and/or have been threatened with or arrest for the actions of others at demonstrations. At some recent protests, people sitting in a road have been threatened not just with their arrest, but of the arrest of the stewards on the march.

"On September 8 at noon, we will assemble in the City of London and assert our right to protest against the investors in death, without state interference."

In a statement to The Wharf newspaper, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: "Police will proportionately respond to any protest activity, balancing the rights of those protesting, with the rights of others to go about their normal business unaffected.

"We have liaised with the groups ELAAF (East London Against the Arms Fair) and CAAT (Campaign Against the Arms Trade) about their plans to protest and we continue to engage with these groups.

"We are aware the group Disarm DSEi plan to protest during the event. We do wish to engage with the group and we would urge them to work with us so that we can proportionately police protest and minimise disruption to local people."

This will be Clarion Events' first year organising the event, following its purchase of the fair from Reed Elsevier last year. It will do so in association with the UKTI DSO, whose offices will be visited by CAAT activists in an anti-arms fair bus on Tuesday. CAAT supporter Quinnie is due to speak out on the issue from the fourth plinth on Monday, but the bulk of the voices against the international arms fair will be raised on the first day of the four-day exhibition.

The Metropolitan Police will be working with British Transport Police during the event, and Clarion is sectioning off a designated area for protests "in view of the exhibition itself".

Residents in the area have already been informed by letter of the restrictions and barriers which will be put in place around the Excel during the event.

A Metropolitan Police statement to The Wharf said: "The planning for DSEI 2009 has been a lengthy process and we have developed a plan that allows us to police the event accordingly. The Met and BTP will police the area outside the event security fence. The Ministry of Defence and the event security will be responsible for security inside the exhibition site area.

"Each policing plan is unique. We are in close liaison with the organisers prior to the event and base our police response on the intelligence available to us. A proportionate and appropriate policing plan will be in place outside the exhibition space and at locations outside the Excel space, including the City of London, where protesters are also expected to gather."