WAR profiteers attending the opening of the DSEI arms fair in east London will be greeted tomorrow by activists holding a remembrance ceremony for the victims of their deadly wares.

The Peace Pledge Union will read out the names of dozens of people of many nationalities who have been killed in war over the last 20 years, including Afghan civilians and British soldiers, before laying a wreath of white poppies at the entrance to Excel, a vast exhibition centre in the Docklands area, as arms dealers and government representatives arrive.

Representatives of governments around the world, including aggressive regimes such as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, are expected to attend DSEI (Defence & Security Equipment International), which runs until Friday.

Peace Pledge Union member Amy Clark-Bryan, from St Albans, will be one of those reading out names at the ceremony.

She said: “I feel moved to protest against DSEI since the arms fair has corruption at its core. I cannot just sit back while our government supports human rights-abusing regimes.

“By taking part in the remembrance ceremony, this shifts the focus onto remembering lives cut short by war.”

The group’s campaigns manager Symon Hill said: “Twenty years after the horrors of 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan, we remember victims of war and violence by promoting peace and resisting the arms trade today.

“DSEI is a vicious example of everyday militarism. The people of Britain didn’t ask for this. Even the mayor of London [Sadiq Khan] doesn’t want it.

“Amidst a global pandemic, rising poverty and the climate emergency, Boris Johnson and his mates have invited arms dealers to do deals with despots in the heart of east London.”

The Peace Pledge Union is one of many groups comprising the Stop the Arms Fair coalition, whose members have already been taking non-violent direct action over the last week against the delivery of military equipment to the Excel in preparation for the event.

On Sunday, Palestine Action covered tents at the entrance in blood red paint to remind participants of the bloodshed and brutality committed through the use of the products marketed inside.

Red and green flares were set off to further symbolise the suffering that Israel inflicts on the Palestinians in partnership with many of the firms exhibiting at DSEI.

Two protesters were arrested, one of whom was “violently tackled” by private security guards, according to campaigners.

Protests, including non-violent direct action, are expected to continue all week.