MARTIAL POLITICS, POLICE POWER ABOLITION, WAR AND THE ARMS TRADE Chris Rossdale
E
very other September, the London Borough of Newham plays host to one of the world’s largest arms fairs. Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) brings ‘the entire defence manufacturing supply chain together with the world’s key military specifiers, influencers, buyers, and end-users’.30 On display is everything from tanks to tear gas, border security systems to drones, flak jackets to rocket launchers. It is a major event in the business of the international arms industry, drawing over 1,700 exhibitors and representatives from over 100 countries. Consequently, it attracts major protests aimed at stopping the event from taking place.31 DSEI is a site where multiple registers of policing overlap. The event takes place inside ExCeL, half exhibition centre, half fortress, which was constructed precisely in order to host highly secure events such as these. This citadel towers over the neighbouring streets. Newham is one of London’s
29
