Billed as 'The world's leading defence and security event', the DSEI arms fair at London's ExCel centre brings together more than 1600 exhibitors and showcases the world's deadliest weapons. Mark Meatcher joined protests outside.
I believe the Spirit of God is stirring deep inside me at the moment.
I attended my first 'proper' demonstration on Tuesday this week when I participated in the #Nofaithinwar day at the ExCel Centre in London.
I met so many wonderful people, including the police force tasked with keeping law and order while the demonstration was going on, that filled me with hope for the future of humanity but which also challenged me further about my own faith and what it means to me.
Mine was a relatively tame protest.
Since I am a minister of the United Reformed Church I turned up in uniform, so to speak. I discovered that simply turning up as a church minister to join with others to say that I thought the arms trade and the arms fair was wrong, and isn't the best way for us to work in peace, brought a response from many people who just said 'Thank you so much for coming, thank you for talking the talk and walking the walk.' It was a response that moved me, challenged me, humbled me.
Others stood in the road, others chained themselves together and had to be cut apart and were arrested, others hung themselves from bridges to try and prevent the lorries carrying weapons of warfare to enter the exhibition centre.
What did I do?
I participated in a drama where Britannia was 'married' to the Arms Trade, which we performed three times during the day.
I joined with the Quakers in their worship for an hour late morning as we stood at the side of the road.
We placed Bibles and grapes in the roadway in the hope that this symbolic act would be noted and might help those who were planning to bring weapons into the exhibition centre think about what they were doing. As it happened it led to bemused looks from the police, who weren't sure what to do about this kind of protest.
We listened to a Jew commentating on the Old Testament scriptures.
We celebrated communion in the middle of the road alongside a Methodist and an Anglican ordinand and with all those who gathered there with us, Quakers and others from various backgrounds.
We shared in worship with Pax Christi, the International Catholic movement for Peace, which proved again a moment for humility and wonder as we did genuinely all do this together, worship and pray for peace.
We worshipped too with Buddhists, and dined alongside them at lunchtime.
And we left the day inspired and challenged, wondering what God wanted us to do next to continue the campaign, to work for peace and to challenge the worldview that continues to think we need to have might to control, but fails to recognise that continuing to sell weapons of war, continuing to build weapons of war, is not bringing peace but only continuing to destroy communities.
The children (and adults) of Syria and Yemen, among many others, keep on screaming that out to us, but many are deaf to their cries.
Rev Mark Meatcher is a minister in the United Reformed Church.
