MORE than 65 organisations across Britain are uniting to shut down the world’s biggest arms fair under the banner of The Big One coalition. 

The Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) fair is scheduled to take place at London’s ExCeL centre between September 9 and 12. 

The event, held every two years, brings together some of the world’s biggest arms dealers and government delegations.

In 2023, DSEI hosted 35,000 delegates from nearly 100 countries, including the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Turkey and Qatar. 

Campaigners have consistently mobilised outside the fair, calling it a hub for war crimes and repression.

Israel has always played a prominent role at DSEI, with the British government inviting an official Israeli government delegation. 

This year, organisers are advertising an Israeli pavilion, with confirmed attendance from companies such as Israel Aerospace Industries, which activists say is openly showcasing weapons used in Gaza.

Coalition organisers argue that Labour risks “rolling out the red carpet” for war criminals if Israeli delegations are again welcomed. 

In its call to action, The Big One described DSEI as a “marketplace in death and destruction” where arms dealers and politicians strike deals that enable “genocide, war crimes and human rights abuses.”

The statement added: “British colonial violence did not end when hard fought liberation struggles were waged around the globe. 

“Instead, as empires crumbled, global colonial and imperialist forces adapted. 

“Now, arms fairs, like DSEI UK, continue to back the profiteers of state-led death, occupation and violence that has never ceased.

“This is where war starts. This is where repressive border policies start. This is where torture starts. 

“This is where the contacts are made and the lucrative deals done that fuel genocide, war crimes and human rights abuses around the world. This is why we have to shut it down.”

A spokesperson for the coalition said the government is “complicit in genocide,” has lied about arms sales, and “has lost all legitimacy.”

They said: “It hoped that banning Palestine Action would stop direct action against the arms trade. 

“But the number of national and regional groups endorsing our coalition shows this has failed. 

“Across the country, people are mobilising and showing they are willing to do what is necessary to shut DSEI down.”

Supporting groups include the Campaign Against Arms Trade, Palestine Youth Movement, Workers for a Free Palestine and various grassroots organisations.