“War profiteers have blood on their hands and we are making it impossible for anyone to attend their weapons fair without directly confronting the violence and bloodshed they are complicit in.”

Kenny Stancil June 1, 2022

More than a hundred anti-war campaigners traveled to Ottawa on Wednesday to protest outside of the E.Y. Center, where they obstructed access to the opening of CANSEC, North America’s largest weapons and “defense industry” convention.

“The weapons companies sponsoring and exhibiting in CANSEC are raking in record billions in profits. They are the only people who win these wars.”

Carrying 40-foot banners with messages such as “Blood On Your Hands,” “Stop Profiting From War,” and “Arms Dealers Not Welcome,” peace activists blocked multiple driveways and pedestrian entrances as attendees attempted to register for and enter the meeting just before Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand’s scheduled opening keynote address.

“The same conflicts around the world which have brought misery to millions have brought record profits to arms manufacturers this year,” Rachel Small, an organizer with World Beyond War, said in a statement. “These war profiteers have blood on their hands, and we are making it impossible for anyone to attend their weapons fair without directly confronting the violence and bloodshed they are complicit in.”