Protests Expected as Israeli Arms Firms Join Global Defence Trade Fair in London

Published: 08 September ‘2025. The English Chronicle Desk

London is bracing for large-scale protests this week as the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair opens in the Docklands, drawing more than 1,600 exhibitors from around the world, including 51 Israeli arms companies and leading US defence contractor Lockheed Martin. The event, which runs for four days, is one of the world’s largest gatherings of the global arms industry and is expected to be marked by intense demonstrations, particularly against Israel’s defence presence.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has accused the UK government of enabling what it describes as “complicity in genocide” by permitting Israeli firms to showcase weapons and technologies widely used in Gaza. Emily Apple, CAAT’s media coordinator, said allowing Israeli defence manufacturers to promote what she described as “genocide-tested weapons” underscored a moral failure by British authorities. Among those represented are Israel’s three biggest defence companies: Elbit Systems, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). All are key suppliers to the Israel Defense Forces, which continues operations in Gaza City after nearly two years of bombardment.

IAI and Rafael confirmed their attendance on their websites, while DSEI’s exhibitor directory lists a Swedish subsidiary of Elbit Systems. Promotional materials from IAI emphasise the company’s ambition to “shape the future of global security” through advanced military technologies. Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the F-35 fighter jet that has been deployed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, will also be among the exhibitors. Despite restrictions on arms exports to Israel over humanitarian concerns, UK companies remain part of the international supply chain for the aircraft, providing around 15% of the jet’s components.

According to CAAT, British firms have supplied an estimated £572 million worth of spare parts for the F-35 programme since 2016. Contributions have included systems from BAE, which provides the aircraft’s active interceptor system. While the UK government has halted direct arms sales to Israel in certain categories, it has argued that F-35 components cannot be disentangled from the multinational manufacturing framework.

The DSEI fair is expected to attract between 500 and 1,000 demonstrators outside the venue on Tuesday as the exhibition opens. Organisers of the protests have described this year’s mobilisation as unprecedented in scale. The last fair in 2023 saw more than 100 police officers deployed each day in an operation that cost nearly £2 million and resulted in ten arrests. Security will be heightened this year, particularly given that the event follows Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel in October 2023, which escalated tensions across the Middle East and sparked waves of solidarity demonstrations in the UK.

Recent activism has been fuelled by the activities of Palestine Action, a direct action group recently banned by the UK government. Nearly 900 of its supporters were arrested last Saturday during a nationwide campaign targeting Elbit Systems sites. One of the company’s facilities in Bristol was unexpectedly closed following sustained protest. Although CAAT stresses that its demonstrations are separate from Palestine Action, it acknowledged that some individuals may overlap in expressing support.

Beyond the controversy over exhibitors, the DSEI fair will also serve as a platform for the UK government to unveil its new defence industrial strategy. Defence Secretary John Healey is scheduled to deliver a keynote address on Thursday, with ministers emphasising their ambition to strengthen the sector both militarily and economically. The strategy includes a £250 million fund to establish five defence growth deals designed to bring together government, academia, and industry to enhance the UK’s capabilities. In addition, £182 million will go towards creating five new defence technical excellence colleges aimed at training the next generation of specialists.

Healey has argued that the new approach will make “defence an engine for growth across the UK” and pledged that the country will become “the best place in the world to start and grow a defence firm.” With the Labour government seeking to increase defence spending in the face of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, ministers are also keen to stress the potential of the arms industry to support jobs and skills across the country.

For critics, however, the juxtaposition of Britain’s economic ambitions with the presence of Israeli arms manufacturers at DSEI underscores a deeper conflict between profit and principle. As protesters prepare to converge on London, the trade fair is once again set to highlight the fierce debate over the ethics of the global arms industry.