Peace Action Wellington hung massive banners at Te Papa today condemning the Government supported Defence Industry Association annual conference being held there. Activists disrupted the conference with noisemakers and chanted, ‘Arms Trade! Death Trade!’ to the conference participants.

‘The Government is wasting thousands of dollars of taxpayer money buying defence hardware that is never used. They are also actively supporting an industry which is in business to cause death and destruction.’ said Peace Action Wellington member John Anderson.

Photo by Cam Burnell

One banner on the waterfront exterior of the building read, ‘Arms Race at Our Place’ and featured a giant bloody fingerprint, Te Papa’s logo. The other banner, hung inside the large foyer of the museum read, ‘No public aid for weapons trade.’

‘It is bad enough that our Defence Force is supporting an immoral and illegal occupation in Iraq at a cost of some $12 million. The Government clearly thinks military spending is more important than desperately needed medical and education priorities.’

Photo by Cam Burnell

The Defence Industry Association is a partnership between some of the world’s largest multinational corporations, the NZ Defence Force, and Trade and Industry NZ.

Peace Action Wellington is calling on the Labour Party for an immediate end to state support for a weapons industry.

ENDS

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