Why the Land Forces arms expo and conference must not go ahead: in Defence of Earth By Robin Taubenfeld, Sam Castro, & Phil Evans
A convergence of activists from across the progressive spectrum will gather in Meanjin / Brisbane in June 2021 to oppose the Land Forces conference, described as a “killing conference alongside a massive killing expo.”1 Friends of the Earth activists from the Defence of Earth project will join those gathering in an attempt to not only disrupt the conference, but the wider corporate movement for war and militarism.
What is Land Forces? Land Forces is an arms fair, masquerading as an industry trade show. The accompanying military conference is sponsored by the Queensland Government and the Australian Department of Defence. Some of the world’s largest arms and defence manufacturers are expected to exhibit their wares in 2021 at the taxpayer’s expense. The event is scheduled to take place from 1-3 June 2021 at the Brisbane Convention Centre. According to the organisers of the last expo, Land Forces in 2018 “...attracted record total combined attendances of 15,331 over the period of the event, from throughout Australia and the world (up from 13,450 in 2016)” and promoted “624 companies from 26 countries.”2 There has been a long running resistance to the conference by activists who question the moral right of Land Forces to go ahead as profiteering off war continues to result in death and destruction of people in the global south, exacerbates climate change and the abuse of human rights, with the majority of casualties in modern warfare being civilians. In recent years we have seen the consequences of climate change, famine and war decimate countries such as Syria, resulting in millions of displaced people seeking asylum. The cycle of the military industrial complex can be felt for generations and it begins with the profiteering of weapons designed for no other purpose than to kill.
Defence of Earth – Dismantling Patriarchy Friends of the Earth believes that peace is a precursor to gender, climate, economic, social, and environmental justice. We understand militarism is an extension of a patriarchal system that is both damaging to people and planet, and thus perpetuates mutually reinforcing and interlinked oppressions of colonialism, sexism,
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cis-heteronormativity, ableism, capitalism, and racism.3 In 2018 Friends of the Earth Australia instituted a national project concerned with dismantling this aspect of patriarchy in order to progress system change based on gender, social, and environmental justice. It has become clear that not only are women and children disproportionately impacted by war and austerity but are also most impacted by the current pandemic. War threatens social infrastructure such as healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and education as well as agriculture systems and the environment. As primary caretakers for the young and elderly, and even in peacetime economically disadvantaged women are at the frontlines of caring for the community as they are during the COVID-19 crisis. Women are often left to protect their, land, their communities and their families in war zones, and are targeted with gendered violence including war crimes such as rape and kidnapping. They often have less representation in political and other power structures within their societies. In fact, women are, in fact, on the frontlines in war, in the fight for climate justice and in the global response to the pandemic, making up the majority of workers in services, health and other care industries, grocery and server sectors, all of which are considered essential services. Also much like in war, women are being severely impacted by the pandemic, facing spikes in domestic, sexual assault and state violence across the globe during this crisis. Even within the military, women face discrimination and sexual violence. According to a US study published in 2018, “women veterans reported the highest rates of lifetime and past-year post-traumatic stress disorder compared with women civilians; men veterans; and men civilians.”4 Defence industries which promise to support post war or post-COVID-19 economic recovery are also male-dominated and notoriously poor at providing workplaces free of sexism and misogyny, with the Australian women in defence industries report stating that “(women) experience high levels of discrimination and sexism, both overt and subtle.”5 War and economies based on extractivism and military violence normalise violence at home and in other sectors of our society. There can be no climate justice or economic justice if we build our economies on industries that perpetuate violence and gender oppression.
Climate change and the carbon bootprint It is a well-established fact that the military is bad for the climate – and they know it.
“ Climate change will see higher temperatures, increased sea-level rise and will increase the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.”
– The Australian Defence Force6
Previous exhibitor lists show that the Queensland Government is most likely sponsoring an event that includes at least nine of the top ten global arms producers and key players in the global weapons supply chain.7 The Queensland Government as the official sponsor and the owner of the venue, the Brisbane Convention Centre, and is using our taxpayer dollars to fund these corporations profiteering from climate recklessness.
