As part of our Living by the Sword' campaign we joined with Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), Christian youth organisaion SPEAK, Pax Christi and many others to hold a very succesful 'Shut DESO Day of Action on Monday 16th October.

Here Maud Grainger giver her impression of the day "

A prayer meeting (pictured right) gave us the opportunity through prayer and song to prepare our hearts for the day. We attended the briefing, where we reminded ourselves of the urgent need to stand against the arms trade. The availability of weapons across the world undermines the vital work of peace-building, of transforming conflict. DESO broker the sales of arms and with countries such as Iraq and Libya as their priority markets we must call into question the UK’s ‘responsible’ arms export policy. As we created a human chain (see below) around the DESO HQ and declared a global danger zone we called upon the government to close this organisation.

We finished by speaking to the public and to our MPs. It was soon apparent that from the street poll organised by Campaign Against the Arms Trade that 88% of people asked had not heard of DESO. I hope as a result of the day we have increased awareness and sent a clear message to our government that supporting and encouraging the sales of arms has devastating consequences.

Church Leaders Support Campaign

Thirty UK Church leaders have signed an ecumenical statement1 calling for the closure of the government arms sales unit, the Defence Export Service Organisation (DESO). Two Presidents, fourteen Bishops and a Nobel Prize winner are among the leading church figures from the Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Roman Catholic and United Reformed Church who have joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s ‘Stop Living by the Sword’ Campaign.

The statement reads: “ The Defence Export Services Organisation is the unit of the UK Ministry of Defence which helps UK companies sell their military equipment and services overseas. Through DESO, the UK taxpayer subsidises the export of arms into areas of conflict and to governments that abuse human rights. The trade in military equipment also damages economic development at each of global, regional and local economic levels. The undersigned call on the UK government to close the Defence Export Services Organisation and not to transfer its functions elsewhere in the public sector or to allocate public funds to enable them to be undertaken in the private sector.”

Signatures so far are:

• Revd. Graham Carter, President of Methodist Conference
• Revd. Kate Coleman, President of Baptist Union of Great Britian

  Anglican Bishops who have signed the statement at this time are as follows:

• The Rt Rev James Bell, Bishop of Knaresborough
• The Right Revd Colin Bennetts, Bishop of Coventry
• The Rt Revd Michael Bourke, Bishop of Wolverhampton
• The Rt Revd Richard Inwood, Bishop of Bedford
• The Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, Bishop of Hulme
• The Rt Rev Christopher Morgan, Bishop of Colchester
• The Rt Revd Tony Robinson, Bishop of Pontefract
• The Rt Revd David Rossdale, Bishop of Grimsby
• The Rt Revd Dr John Saxbee, Bishop of Lincoln
• The Rt Revd Dr Alan Smith, Bishop of Shrewsbury
• The Rt Rev John Went, Bishop of Tewkesbury

  Catholic Bishops who have signed:

• Rt Rev Terence Brain, Bishop of Salford
• Rt Rev. Thomas McMahon, Bishop of Brentwood
• Rt Rev Patrick O'Donoghue, Bishop of Lancaster

  Other Free Church leaders

• Revd William H. Anderson, Methodist Chair of Birmingham District
• Revd Barbara Bircumshaw, Methodist Chair of North Wales District
• Revd David F.Coote, Methodist Chair of Channel Islands District
• Revd John Howard, Methodist Chair of Wolverhampton & Shrewsbury District
• Revd Alison Tomlin, Methodist Chair Oxford & Leicester District
• Revd John Claydon, Northern Baptist Association
• Revd Patricia Took, London Baptist Association
• Revd Peter Poulter, Moderator, URC Northern Province

  Others leading church figures who have signed include

• Andy Reed MP
• David Taylor MP,
• Jim Dobbin MP,
• Andrew Stunell MP
• Nobel Prize Winner, Mairead Corrigan Maguire
• Rev Gerard Hughes SJ, Author

Church Leaders Write to National Press

In the run up to the DESO Day of Action, a number of Church leaders have written to the national Press.

Dear Editor

As leaders of Christian communities in the UK, we cannot help but listen and respond to the increasing cry from around the world of those caught up in armed conflict. Christian communities around the world urge us to do what we can to stop the flooding of their countries with weapons arguing that the continued push of arms to their countries undermines the vital work of building peace and security.

The disappointing outcome of the UN Small Arms Review Conference over the summer and the difficulty of getting international agreement to regulate the arms trade makes it all the more important to ensure that we act to stop the weaponry at source. Now in its 40th year of operation, the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) is the unit of the UK Ministry of Defence which helps UK companies sell their military equipment and services overseas. Through DESO, the UK taxpayer subsidises the export of arms into areas of conflict and to governments that abuse human rights. The trade in military equipment also damages economic development at each of global, regional and local economic levels.

In recent years, our Churches have made clear statements on the evils of the arms trade, offering other visions for peace and security. We are currently in the middle of the World Council of Churches Decade to Overcome Violence and the United Nations Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World and we believe that this is an opportune moment to begin a process which will lead to real change. In particular we call on the UK government to close the Defence Export Services Organisation and not to transfer its functions elsewhere in the public sector or to allocate public funds to enable them to be undertaken in the private sector.

Yours sincerely,

Revd Graham Carter, President of Methodist Conference

Revd Kate Coleman, President of Baptist Union of Great Britain

The Rt Revd Richard Inwood, Bishop of Bedford

The Rt Revd Patrick O'Donoghue, Bishop of Lancaster

The Rt Revd Colin Bennetts, Bishop of Coventry,

The Rt Revd Michael Bourke, Bishop of Wolverhampton

The Right Revd Anthony Robinson, Bishop of Pontefract

The Right Revd John Went, Bishop of Gloucester

The Rt Revd James Bell, Bishop of Knaresborough

The Rt Revd. Dr Alan Smith, Bishop of Shrewsbury

Revd Peter Poulter, Moderator, URC Northern Synod

The Revd. John Claydon, Northern Baptist Association

Revd. Dr. Patricia Took, London Baptist Association

Revd. Alison Tomlin, Chair of Oxford & Leicester Methodist District

Revd William H. Anderson, Chair Birmingham Methodist District

Published here