Anti-arms trade protesters target defence company

Nine anti-arms trade protesters have been arrested after padlocking themselves to the doors of a global defence company’s offices.

Lockheed Martin’s offices in Regent Street, central London, were targeted by campaigners from Stop the Arms Fair coalition ahead of the start of the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) event, which, is taking place at the ExCel centre in London’s Docklands from today.

Activists, who used superglue as well as locks to attach themselves to the front and rear entrances of the building, have accused Lockheed Martin of supplying weapons that have been used in war crimes around the world, including cluster munitions and Trident nuclear weapons systems.

A Lockheed Martin spokesman said: “We respect the fact that in a democracy everyone has the right to freedom of speech and to protest but this should be done peacefully and lawfully.”