Disarm the Gallery
The National Gallery is one of Great Britain's most iconic public institutions. It is also supporting the arms trade.
Last year the National Gallery hosted an evening reception to celebrate the first day of business at DSEi, the world's largest arms fair.
Arms company Finmeccanica buys the opportunity to use the Gallery's rooms for its 'corporate entertaining' – that is, for impressing its clients and lobbying decision-makers – for only £30,000 a year. By entering into this arrangement the Gallery is giving both practical support and a veneer of legitimacy to an industry based on death and destruction.
But public criticism can make the Gallery reconsider. After receiving hundreds of letters condemning its support for arms fairs, the Gallery has said it will not host a reception for arms dealers during this July's Farnborough Airshow. If we keep up the pressure we can persuade it to end all support for the arms trade.
Join the campaign to get the arms dealers out of the arts.
The Gallery's current deal with arms company Finmeccanica runs until October 2013, but negotiations for renewal will start much earlier. Now is the time to put on the pressure.
CAAT is calling on the Gallery
- not to host further receptions for arms companies
- to end its sponsorship arrangements with arms companies
Add new comment