British and German campaigners criticise Welsh Government’s involvement in arms fair

Martin Shipton

Anti-war campaigners in Britain and Germany have condemned the Welsh Government for spending almost £70,000 of public money on a controversial arms fair in Germany, where school students have taken to the streets against militarisation.

The Welsh Government is due to exhibit at DSEI Germany 2027 in Hannover next March, part of the expansion of Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI), the controversial London trade show often described as the world’s biggest arms fair.

According to a contract published on the Welsh Government’s Sell2Wales procurement website, an estimated £68,170 has been awarded to ADS Group for the Welsh Government to exhibit at the event and host its own stand.

The move is likely to raise eyebrows among Plaid Cymru supporters, after the party repeatedly criticised the previous Labour Welsh Government for spending public money on arms fairs.

In 2021, current Plaid Cymru Culture Minister Heledd Fychan, then the party’s international affairs spokesperson, called on the Welsh Government to withdraw from DSEI London, calling it a “contemptible event”.

The decision to attend DSEI Germany comes as tens of thousands of German school students have taken part in protests against Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s plans to expand the armed forces and record increases in military spending.

Nationwide school strikes have reportedly involved more than 50,000 young people across more than 130 German towns and cities walking out of classrooms.

Felix Kreklow Rojas, one of the national organisers of the German school strikes said: “While young people across Germany are taking to the streets to oppose conscription, militarisation and the arms race, it is deeply disappointing to see the Welsh Government travelling to Germany to promote and profit from the very same military build-up that we are fighting against.

“If the Welsh Government truly stands with young people and believes in a peaceful future, it should not be spending public money attending arms fairs. It should be standing with us not with the arms industry.”

The students have called on the Welsh Government to withdraw from DSEI Germany and instead support an international youth and student strike against war, militarism and European rearmament on November 20.

Cancel

Adam Johannes from Cardiff Stop the War said: “The Welsh Government must cancel its involvement in DSEI Germany 2027 and say, plainly, that neither ministers nor civil servants have any business attending arms fairs.

“Mark Hooper, now a Welsh Government Minister, once said that ‘attending an arms fair is indefensible’. He talked a lot of sense.

“Arms fairs are where governments and arms companies do business, including companies supplying some of the world’s most brutal regimes and profiting from war.

“This is happening as European leaders pour money into rearmament while asking ordinary people to accept cuts and austerity in the name of security. To participate in this new global arms race, then talk about Welsh jobs or an ‘ethical’ defence sector, is to put a respectable face on something that is anything but respectable.

“Plaid built support by opposing wars, calling for an end to arms sales to Israel and opposing Wales hosting DARC, the US military radar. The leadership’s attempt to roll out the welcome mat for the arms industry represents a retreat from the politics that brought many people to Plaid in the first place.

“The anger among some Plaid backbenchers and many members should be heard. Stop, listen, think again and change direction.”

Cardiff Stop the War Coalition has also demanded clarity over the Welsh Government’s involvement in DSEI Japan 2027, where it is advertised as an exhibitor.

Responding to a previous enquiry from Nation.Cymru, the Welsh Government appeared to leave the door open to involvement, saying only that it would have no “direct” representation at the event.

The controversy comes as campaigners prepare to protest outside the Defence Resilience Security Cymru summit at ICC Newport on September 3 at 8am.

Co-host

The Welsh Government is listed as a co-host alongside Business in Focus, ADS Group and General Dynamics Land Systems. Campaigners have branded it the “Welsh Government Arms Fair”.

Enterprise Minister Adam Price was previously advertised as a keynote speaker but later said he would not attend. It is understood Welsh Government civil servants remain involved in the event.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We will continue to engage with the aerospace, defence, security and national resilience sectors to support the thousands of high-tech, well-paid jobs in Wales, while promoting respect for human rights and international law.

“An ethical defence framework is being developed, informed by discussions with Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive counterparts, and will guide future engagement with the sector.”

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