To the NEC Group: Stop SDSC-UK

Letter to the NEC Group, which manages the National Exhibition Centre, hosting the SDSC-UK in 2026

Dear NEC Group,

We are writing to urge you not to host the arms fair scheduled at the NEC on 3-4 February 2026.  The Specialist Defence and Security Convention (SDSC-UK) promotes weapons used to destroy lives around the world. It is not welcome in our community and should not be hosted at any reputable national venue.

The SDSC-UK arms fair has already quit the Three Counties Showground in 2023 and Telford International Centre in 2025 following persistent protest in both communities.

Why has SDSC-UK faced such opposition? The SDSC-UK showcases companies known to arm and equip the perpetrators of human rights violations and war crimes. 

To name a few, the arms fair has hosted: 

• Thales, which breached sanctions against Russia, allowing its equipment to be used in the servicing of aircraft. Thales also provided arms used against civilians in West Papua and has been the subject of multiple corruption investigations.

• BAE Systems, which not only provided fighter-bombers used against civilians in Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, but has been implicated in massive bribery cases in corrupt deals with South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

• Qioptiq, now part of Excelitas, produces night-vision scopes, weapon sights, missile guidance systems and head-up-displays for fighter jets. Its customers include the UAE and Bahrain, both notorious for repression and human rights abuses.

• L3 Harris, which has many customers and products. For example its bomb racks have been which have been used on drones in conflicts in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, and Libya.

• Elbit Systems, which claims to provide the backbone of Israel’s drone fleet.

Indeed, all these companies have profited from Israel’s wars in Gaza, which a UN commission has determined amounts to genocide. It is sadly no exaggeration to say the NEC may end-up abetting the next genocide.

Accommodating the SDSC-UK is inconsistent with the NEC Group’s Environmental, Social and Governance goals. We are heartened to see that the NEC Group is committed to "conduct all our business in an honest, ethical and lawful manner.” The arms industry is none of these. 

An estimated 40 percent of all corruption cases in international trade are linked to the sale of arms. Arms companies often work to circumvent arms controls and their wares are frequently used in breaches of international humanitarian law. The industry sacrifices people for profit, making it ethically bankrupt. The NEC also pledges to be “Better for the planet”. The UK arms industry emits 1.46 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually (Scientists for Global Responsibility). This is in addition to the emissions from the UK military itself. It is not tenable to uphold the NEC Group’s values and host this event.

The comparable DPRTE arms fair was forced to cancel its event in Bristol in 2014, Cardiff in 2018 and Birmingham in 2019, indicating the extent of opposition nationally and in the West Midlands. Why would the NEC repeat this mistake?

This is not just another exhibition. SDSC-UK is part of the destructive global arms trade which drives armed conflict, oppression and human rights abuses around the world.  

We therefore call on the NEC to cancel this booking and confirm SDSC-UK will not be welcomed again. 

Yours sincerely,

Stop SDSC-UK members and supporters