Hundreds are expected to protest as Israeli arms makers attend a major London defence trade fair this week. The biennial DSEI event, opening Tuesday in Docklands, will host 51 Israeli defence companies alongside 1,600 global exhibitors.
The focus is on Israel’s top defence firms, including Elbit Systems, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), and the US company Lockheed Martin, which makes F-35 fighter jets used in Gaza. Their presence has drawn criticism from campaigners and human rights groups.
Campaign Against Arms Trade (Caat) condemned the UK government for allowing Israeli firms to exhibit. Emily Apple, Caat’s media coordinator, said the decision enabled companies to “market their genocide-tested weapons” to international buyers. She added the government had reached “peak complicity in genocide” by permitting the firms to attend.
Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest private defence contractor, while Rafael and IAI are state-owned. All supply the Israel Defense Forces, currently conducting operations in Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering after years of conflict. IAI and Rafael have confirmed their attendance, while a Swedish subsidiary of Elbit Systems is listed in the DSEI directory. IAI promotes its participation, stating it aims to “shape the future of global security” with “unmatched strategic capabilities.”
Protests are expected to peak Tuesday morning as the fair opens. Organisers anticipate between 500 and 1,000 demonstrators. Apple noted this level of interest is unprecedented for anti-arms trade protests in the UK.
This year marks the first DSEI since the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and security is expected to be heightened. Ten arrests were made at the 2023 event, which required over 100 officers daily and cost nearly £2 million. While these demonstrations are planned separately from recent pro-Palestine Action protests, some participants may show support for the group, which has been recently banned.
On Saturday, almost 900 people were arrested in connection with pro-Palestinian demonstrations targeting Elbit Systems sites, including a factory in Bristol that has since closed.
Lockheed Martin is also exhibiting. The US defence giant produces the F-35 jet used by Israel in Gaza. The UK has paused most arms exports to Israel over humanitarian concerns but allows British companies to supply parts for the jets, as they are part of a global programme. Caat estimates UK firms have supplied £572 million in F-35 components to Israel since 2016. BAE Systems, which provides the jet’s active interceptor system, is among the suppliers. UK contributions make up about 15% of the F-35’s overall value, also used by the Royal Air Force.
Ahead of the fair, the Ministry of Defence will launch a new defence industrial strategy on Monday. Defence Secretary John Healey is set to attend DSEI and deliver a keynote address Thursday. Labour plans to increase military spending following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while the government aims to highlight the jobs and skills the defence sector provides.
The strategy includes a £250 million fund for five defence growth deals, supporting sub-sectors across the UK by connecting industry, government, and academia. An additional £182 million will fund five defence technical excellence colleges.
Healey said the strategy would make “defence an engine for growth across the UK” and position the country as “the best place in the world to start and grow a defence firm.”
