The office of the weapon lobby group AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) was closed down today by peace activists. About twenty activists handed over letters of dismissal to the employees and took over the office.
With this action they protest the influence of the arms industry on European policy making.
"The horror of war and violence is all around us. The European arms trade sustains bloody conflicts", says one of the activists, "Europe is one of the biggest weapons exporters in the world. This has to stop, after all we are talking about human lives here."
ASD, voice of the defence industry
The ASD is the voice of the defence industry in Europe. In their office here in Brussels they represent the interests of 15 large businesses and 27 interest groups from 20 countries. The executive functions of the ASD are taken by the CEOs of Europe's biggest arms companies.
Five of those companies (BAE Systems, Airbus, Finmeccanica, Thales en Rolls Royce) are in the top fifteen biggest arms companies in the world. In 2012 the turnover of the European arms industry was 96 billion euros. Almost 40 billion of this was destined for export.
The arms industry desperately needs an expansive trade of weapons to conflict regions in order to be profitable. European weapons pop up in conflicts and in violations of human rights worldwide. Of the 51 regimes labeled as "authoritarian" by the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2012, 43 were able to buy weapons in the European Union.
EU exports insecurity
Thus, Europe de facto exports insecurity. In 2012 all European countries combined delivered 47.868 export licenses for weapons. Only 459 were refused. In 2011, the year in which the Arab Spring was violently crushed, the value of European export licenses to the Arab region totalled 9 billion euros, twice as much as in 2007.
Saudi-Arabia is still one of the major destinations for European weapons. IS was in part armed through this flow of weapons.
"Here in Brussels, arms traders meet European policy makers on a daily basis and they are able to lobby for more lenient export regulations", says Pieter Van Eecke, spokesperson for Vredesactie.
EU in need of real security policy
The lack of control and transparency is problematic. Trade between the EU-countries is free and this goes for weapons as well. Businesses can transport weaponry from one EU country to another without any problems and the EU has no enforceable criteria for weapons exports to countries outside the EU.
Meanwhile, arms manufacturers do everything in their power to convince everyone on the planet to buy new weapons. Whether it's in response to a legitimate threat to security is irrelevant.
The EU could choose another path and use its trade policy as a powerful instrument for conflict prevention - as it states in its own security strategy. If this was the case, 45.900 weapons export licenses would be refused instead of 459. It would be a first step to a safer world.
Because of the severity of the problem, peace activists have taken a first step today by closing the offices of the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD).
UPDATE: The police just cleared the building, no one was arrested
soon you can find...
pictures of the action: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vredesactie/
movie of the action: www.youtube.com/vredesactie
facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/Istopthearmstrade.eu
twitter : www.twitter.com/vredesactie
website : www.istopthearmstrade.eu
spokesperson English: Pieter Van Eecke 0488 95 46 47
spokesperson French: Jerôme Peraya 0497 43 54 89
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This action is part of the campaign istopthearmstrade.eu of Vredesactie and Agir pour la Paix.
istopthearmstrade.eu maps the arms trade, exposes arms dealers and intervenes there where it can stop the arms trade.
With our non-violent actions we prevent arms dealers from selling their weaponry or from lobbying for more lenient export regulations. We interfere during arms trade fairs, conferences, in the offices of arms lobby groups and other events related to the arms lobby.