An arms fair at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) has once again drawn determined protests, as peace campaigners demanded an end to the normalisation of war profiteering in the city.

Around sixty protesters took part in two days of action outside the Specialist Defence and Security Convention (SDSC-UK) on 3–4 February. Demonstrations included a mock drone-strike ‘die-in’, street theatre by the Red Rebels, a Quaker-led silent vigil, interfaith prayers and drumming. There were no arrests, although two protesters were carried from the site.

The Peace Pledge Union (PPU), which supported the protests as it has in previous years, described SDSC-UK as a “shocking example of everyday militarism”.

PPU member Symon Hill, who attended the protests, said, "As a resident of the West Midlands, I could not sit by while arms companies do deals with despots on my doorstep. I am glad that people of many faiths and none turned up to resist the arms trade and to challenge the NEC's appalling decision to profit from it."

The arms fair has faced opposition everywhere it has gone. Previous SDSC-UK events were forced out of the Three Counties Showground in 2023 and the Telford International Centre in 2025 following sustained community resistance.

“The SDSC-UK isn’t just another exhibition," said a spokesperson for the Stop SDSC-UK campaign, which includes Quakers, Campaign Against Arms Trade, the PPU and others. "It’s a showcase for companies that profit from war, human suffering, and corruption,”

“Weapons sold here end up being used against civilians in conflicts from Yemen to Gaza. This is not welcome in our city.”

Notorious exhibitors at the arms fair have included:

• Thales, linked to arms used against civilians in West Papua and breaches of sanctions against Russia.
• BAE Systems, whose fighter-bombers have been used in Yemen and whose deals have been tied to massive bribery scandals.
• Qioptiq/Excelitas, providing military optics to regimes known for human rights abuses.
• L3 Harris, whose bomb racks have been used in conflicts in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, and Libya.
• Elbit Systems, a key part of Israel’s drone fleet involved in attacks condemned as potential genocide in Gaza.

Pressure on the NEC has been mounting. On 21 January, an open letter to NEC Group CEO Paul Reeve - signed by more than 400 individuals and thirty organisations including the PPU and Pax Christi - was delivered to the venue by a Peace Dove mascot.

The letter argued that hosting the arms fair contradicts the NEC’s stated commitment to ethical and responsible business.

"We received a lot of support from members of the public," Symon Hill from the PPU explained, "while the NEC management tried to confine our protest to a distant corner and monitor us all by sending security guards to follow us and watch our movements. With many NEC staff clearly being uncomfortable about what they were required to do, it's time for the NEC's bosses to listen to their own workers and customers and throw out the arms industry."

The UK arms industry alone emits over 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and is linked to nearly half of all international trade corruption cases.

“The NEC cannot claim to be a responsible, ethical venue while hosting an event that fuels oppression and destruction around the world,” said the Stop SDSC-UK spokesperson.

Campaigners are now calling on the NEC to refuse to host any future SDSC-UK events.

The PPU is proud to support members and local peace campaigners taking nonviolent action in their own lives and communities. If you or you group would like support for a community campaign on an aspect of militarism, or would like help with a local event, please email us at mail@ppu.org.uk. You can find out more about what support we can offer here.

Photos by Hugh Warwick