Puropse of the workshop was to plan and network groups who are interested to shut down or disrupt the DSEI arms fare which will take place in Docklands, London: 6-12th Sept. 2003. DSEI is Europes's largest arms fare and one of perhaps 5 arms fares in the world on this scale.

Call to action materials need to be translated (volenteers needed).

TWO OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS: What PGA communitations network(s) are avilable to publicise the call to action? Would antimilitarist groups/networks working on the forthcoming NATO conferences in Praha and Muenchen be able to help us publicise the DSEI call to action?

Notes for PGA Conference Newspaper et al.

This Workshop took place after lunch, Tue. Sept. 3rd @ the LVC

Puropse of the workshop was to plan and network groups who are interested to shut down or disrupt the DSEI arms fare which will take place in Docklands, London: 6-12th Sept. 2003.

DSEI is Europes's largest arms fare and one of perhaps 5 arms fares in the world on this scale. It is an event with global significance: Not only British arms companies exhibit but companies from as far afield as the Middle East and South Asia, delegates (potential customers) at DSEI 2001 were invited from 79 different countries with approximately one third of those companies involved in war or conflict.

Sadly, most participants in this workshop were from London, so very little international networking happened. It was agreed that we should put out an international call to action for this day: There was discussion about whether to call for decentralised actions to take place across Europe or whether we should concentrate on getting as many folk as possible to London: for a day (or whole week!) of action(s). Since conference exibitors and delegates come from all over europe and the world we concluded that demonstrators should be encouraged to come from all over Europe too (and from further affield where possible). However, other actions in other parts of the world on a disarmament/anti-militarist theme, during the week of action would also be welcomed.

How should we encourage groups and individuals to get involved?... Publicity materials and target audience for those materials were discussed: We don't always want to send the same publicity materials to anticapitalists and to peacenicks.

It was agreed that it is vitally important that groups do not see this as a demonstration only for peacenicks. The arms trade has links to so many other campaigns. Everybody is welcome in london for the Disarm DSEI week: If you want to come and hold a silent vigil-GREAT, if you want to come wearing your black hoody-GREAT, if you want to scream and shout, play music, do street theatre-ALL ARE WELCOME! We agreed that it is important to create oportunities for 'safe' forms of protest eg for members of refugee comunies who have a direct interest in anti-militarism and conflict prevention but who want to avoid confrontation with the authorities.

There is a co-ordinating group forming in london (see the piece of paper entitled: DRAFT PROPOSAL, INTERNATIONAL CALL TO ACTION, DISARM DSEI.) This group will put together inspiring materials worded to encourage folk to come to london in Sept. 2003. The existing call to action bit of paper encourages groups to get involved in the London based organisational structure. Most non-British groups will not get involved in this way.

It was agreed that call to action materials should be more informative than last year's (glossy flyer with a pink tank on) eg. Materials need to say "Shut down Europe's biggest arms fare" in big letters.

Call to action materials need to be translated (volenteers needed) into many European languages and also translated into languages of refugee comunities (who have strong interest in antimilitarism).

TWO OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS: What PGA communitations network(s) are avilable to publicise the call to action? Would antimilitarist groups/networks working on the forthcoming NATO conferences in Praha and Muenchen be able to help us publicise the DSEI call to action?