PEACE activists targeted the London Science Museum last night after it agreed to host an arms fair welcome reception for the sake of funding.

After weeks of lobbying museum management not to provide a home for schmoozing arms dealers, supporters of the Campaign Against Arms Trade found no other option but to join forces and demonstrate at the event.

The museum will play host to the Farnborough International Airshow. While commonly known as a public aerobatics attraction, it is also an international arms industry expo.

“It’s disgraceful that the Science Museum, an institution that is meant to represent progress and hope for a better world, has decided to host these warmongers,” said protesting nurse Mark Boothroyd.

In an address published on the museum’s website earlier this month, Science Museum director Ian Blatchford wrote: “The revenue generated by bookings such as this plays an important role in the funding mix that enables us to remain free to millions of visitors.”

But members of the scientific community were unimpressed.

A science historian in Oxford who preferred to remain anonymous said that the event was completely inappropriate.

“In any public institution the public should direct its funding,” she said.

“It is offering a public institution’s support to a thing that I think the vast majority of people wouldn’t accept.”

Other campaigners argued that there were wider political implications to the museum’s cooperation with Farnborough.

The protest took a colourful note from the many scientific puns touted on placards and shouted throughout.

Taking inspiration from the periodic table, slogans like “Supporting the arms trade is Si Li” brought laughter to an otherwise very serious action.

Israeli arms company executives are expected to attend the lavish reception to promote their “battle-tested weapons.”