By IRNA,
London : A seasonal protest was being staged in London by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) against one of Britain’s biggest exhibition organizers that recently purchased five arms fairs.
Demonstrators dressed as Santa Claus and elves carried sacks of dummy weapons instead of presents at the opening of a “Spirit of Christmas Fair” at London’s Olympia Centre, owned by Clarion Events.
“I share the disgust that many people will feel at the thought of arms fair owners celebrating the ‘Spirit of Christmas.’ Clarion owns arms fairs which have hosted representatives of vicious regimes,” said CAAT spokesperson Symon Hill.
The exhibition organizers include the controversial biennial Defence Systems and Equipment International Fair in London, which is next being held in September 2009.
The protest comes after Clarion faced a backlash from exhibitors at its Baby Show last month, including Bounty parenting club withdrawing as a sponsor and Unicef refusing to accept donations from ticket sales because of its involvement in the arms trade.
In May, Clarion Events bought three of its arms fairs from Reed Elsevier after the publishers also faced a protest campaign from CAAT, which was supported by writers and medical professionals.
Last week, the BBC was criticised for associating its Top Gear motoring programme with Clarion’s MPH, the UK’s premier Prestige and Performance Motor Show.