Christians arrested at arms fair
Five Christians were arrested on Tuesday for blockading the entrance to an arms fair in London.
The group, associated with the activist organisation Christianity Uncut, sat down and linked arms at the entrance of the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition (DSEi) which was taking place at the Excel. They used superglue to link themselves at the gate.
According to a report by religion and society think-tank Ekklesia, the protesters recited the Lord’s Prayer, before being taken away by police.
They were released in the afternoon and are due to appear in court together later this month.
The DSEI exhibition is backed by the UK government and the London Mayor. Forty countries have their own national pavilions, with guests at the show including the Governments of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
Six Christian organisations, including the religion and society think-tank Ekklesia, have said they believe that ‘peaceful obstruction is morally justified in the face of an exhibition peddling death and destruction in a divided and dangerous world’.