London Mayor DSEI 2021

In September 2021, Defence and Security Equipment International or ‘DSEI’, the world’s largest arms fair, returns to London. Weapons and military technology will be promoted to representatives of states involved in conflict and oppression. 
I believe DSEI runs counter to the values of City Hall and is unwelcome in London. If elected as the Mayor, you would have a platform to protest this heinous event taking place in our city.
Through DSEI, London will play host to delegations from a range of human rights abusing states, who will look to buy and sell repressive military technology, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia. 
Armed with UK-made weapons, the Saudi-led coalition bombardment of Yemen, has created the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe, and committed a litany of violations of international law, as documented by Yemeni human rights group <a href="https://mwatana.org/en/i-ripped-iv-out-of-my-arm">Mwatana,</a> <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/09/yemen-the-forgotten-war/">Amnesty International,</a> <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/yemen">Human Rights Watch</a>, and the <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079232">UN</a>.
Israel operates an oppressive regime of military control and racial discrimination over the Palestinian people in the territory it illegally occupies. The <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/coigazaconflict/pages/commissionofinquiry.aspx">UN Commission of Enquiry</a> into Israel’s 2014 aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza found reasonable grounds to believe that Israel had committed war crimes in its indiscriminate targeting of civilians. 
These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. 
Over the last five years, City Hall has rightly committed itself to playing an active role in the struggle for human rights, whether through committing to be an <a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/press-releases/mayoral/mayor-declares-city-hall-an-anti-racist-body">actively anti-racist organisation,</a> or through Mayor acting as Human Rights Champion for the UNOHCHR ‘Stand Up’ campaign.
DSEI runs counter to City Hall’s stated commitments to human rights and equality.
We therefore ask that you commit, if elected to: 
<ol class="ol1">
<li class="li1">Publicly state that DSEI is unwelcome in the city and runs counter to the values of City Hall. </li>
<li class="li1">Use the Mayor’s discretion to recover the costs of policing the event from DSEI’s organisers.</li>
<li class="li1">Commit to do everything in your power to stop DSEI from returning to London.</li>
</ol>

Tell your Mayoral candidates: Stop the DSEI arms fair