Activists in front of the International Land and Airland Defence and Security Exhibition 'Eurosatory'

“We all want peace and security, let us shift the paradigm”

Eurosatory is the leading international land and airland defence and security exhibition that took place from June 11 to 15, 2018 at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre. In 2016, it gathered 1,571 exhibitors, 212 official delegations, 57,024 international visitors and 700 journalists from all over the world.

The indoor exhibition area showcase technological clusters of intelligence, civil security, crisis management and people security, security of critical infrastructures and sensitive facilities and CBRNe…. And of course weapons and all items useful to (try to) solve conflicts in a violent and destructive way. Business meetings and strategic consultancy also took place there.  Eurosatory 2018 also offered a large programme of conferences and attracted a high-level panel of international speakers including operational staff, manufacturers, media, experts, think tanks and high officials. More than 70 conferences were organised.

 Weapons are being traded….. New wars are being prepared by the many arms transactions.

The weapons fair organizers’ arguments are:

„Today the world faces a wide range of conflicts, terrorist threats and emergencies that increasingly intensify. In the light of this, states and private citizens need defense and security solutions to ensure peace, safety and stability.“

A few members of ICBUW joined peace and disarmament organizations during demonstrations in the streets of Paris and in front of the Eurosatory building.

The slogans were clear:

• High time to change tactics.
• There are proven alternatives.
• The world is over-armed and peace is under-funded.

With the knowledge of the irregular and global threats that we face, terrorism, resource scarcity, cyber warfare, forced migration …we know that conventional advanced military solutions will not bring us security. Military intervention has proven in the 21st century that violence breeds violence, long term resentment, infrastructural damage, trauma, killing, diseases …

Justification for military intervention and ‚ just wars‘ such as liberation and humanitarian wars and the right to protect might not be needed if there was already in place the preparation for non-violent interventions e.g. swift response teams, with the same (or much less) investments as the military response.

The military-industrial complex is old-fashioned, outdated and propped up by vested interests in business and governments. We need different solutions through diplomacy, democracy and politics, justice, security, communication, media, education, culture ….

(Ria Verjauw, Spokesperson ICBUW)

More information: https://stopfuellingwar.org/en