War Profiteers News, May 2018

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Images from those killed or dissappeared in Mexico. A toy gun covered in blood is in the foreground, and "crime scene" tape is draped across.
Issue number
62
May 2018
Arms fair in Romania and Heckler & Koch ex-employees in court

This edition of War Profiteers News covers a range of stories about the arms trade and war profiteering from around the world. The BDSA arms fair was held in Romania at the start of May, and a new report from the Transnational Institute explores how arms companies are profiting from EU border militarisation. In the UK, CAAT have been granted permission to appeal the High Court's decision regarding arms sales to Saudi, and ex-employees of arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch have appeared in court, accused of selling arms sales illegally to areas of Mexico.

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#StopArmingSaudi: CAAT granted permission to pursue appeal against UK governement

Around a dozen people climb over the rubble of demolished buildings in Yemen.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) have been granted permission to continue to pursue it's legal case against the British government regarding arms sales to Saudi Arabia. On 4th May two Court of Appeal judges granted CAAT permission to appeal, and the case will be heard by the Court of Appeal in the months ahead.

Romania hosts seventh Black Sea Defence and Aerospace Exhibition

A weapons stand at BDSA in 2016. Men mill around a number of model helicopters.

In May, Romania hosted the Black Sea Defence and Aerospace Exhibition (BDSA), which saw 270 companies from 25 different countries exhibit to delegations from Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Egypt, Lebanon, Lithuania, Pakistan, Portugal and Vietnam.

Expanding the Fortress: new report exposes firms profiting from EU border militarisation

The front cover of the Expanding The Fortress report

A new report from the Transnational Institute exposes the huge impact of the European Union's “border externalisation” policies, the companies that profit, and the huge numbers of people impacted. Expanding the Fortress explores how migration control has become a major part of the EU's foreign relations, with externalisation policies requiring neighbours to “act as Europe's border guards”.

Heckler & Koch: trial of ex-employees begins in Germany

Images of the missing or murdered Mexican teachers in front of a "crime scene" with pretend guns covered in blood, surrounded by yellow crime scene tape.

The trial of six ex-employees of German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch has begun in Germany. The six ex-employees are accused of illegally exporting 4,500 assault rifles and other guns to Mexico, where they ended up in states effected by violence subject to a ban by the German state.

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WRI activists hold a "War Resisters' Internaitonal" banner

WRI sends a range of publications, action alerts, and other news via a number of email lists. At the end of May 2018, new EU rules come into force that mean we have to make sure we have the consent of the people on our database.

War Profiteer of the Month: Elbit Systems

A Watchkeeper 450 drone in flight

Elbit Systems, an “international defence electronics company” is Israel's largest weapons producer. Through it's subsidiaries around the world, the company produces a wide variety of high-tech products for the military and security industry.