The Fellowship of Reconciliation and Speak Network organised a protest against drones - remote-control killer robots - outside the new London offices of General Atomics, makers of Predator and Reaper drones. London, UK 13/09/2011.
This action was a part of the Day of Action by the 'Stop the Arms Fair Coalition' against DSEi (Defence & Security Equipment International) on its opening day. DSEi is the world's largest arms fair, and takes place every two years at the ExCel centre in London Docklands The coalition includes the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), Disarm DSEi, East London Against Arms Fairs, Fellowship of Reconciliation, London Catholic Worker, Pax Christi, Stop the War Coalition, Trident Ploughshares, War or Want and other groups.
This legal non-violent protest at the Tower 42 offices of General Atmoics was organised by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FoR) and Speak Network, which connects "together young adults and students to campaign and pray about issues of global injustice." FoR is an interfaith movement, founded in 1914 and with permanent representation at the UN and describes itself as "an international, spiritually-based movement of people who, from the basis of a belief in the power of love and truth to create justice and restore community, commit themselves to active non-violence as a way of life and as a means of personal, social, economic and political transformation."
Around 50 people turned up outside the offices at Tower 42 in Old Broad St, at one time the tallest building in the city but now long eclipsed. They chalked slogans on the pavement, displayed banners, sang and handed out leaflets to passers by about the dangers of militarism.
The had intended to to invite passing members of the public to use a Playstation controlled to play 'Remote Control Killer Robots' so they could discover "how targeted and precise armed drones really are." Unfortunately although there is a lot of empty space open to the public around the tower, only a narrow strip of the pavement is public space, and with the police insisting on keeping a passage clear this game proved impossible.
Using drones turns warfare for those 'piloting' them from a centre perhaps several thousands of miles from the battlefield into something very much like a computer game, removing any normal human inhibitions about the indiscriminate killing of others.
The US is currently using around 48 Predator and Reaper drones in Iraq and Afghanistan, controlled from an air-force base in Nevada. One of their main advantages is that they can remain in flight for long periods of time - up to 42 hours - waiting for the order to strike. The UK has around 10 active MQ-9 Reapers in Afghanistan, operated by RAF pilots at the same Nevada base.
Shortly before the protesters left Tower 42 the police allowed the protesters to briefly lay their target cloth out on the pavement and pose for photographs for a few seconds.
