Christians pray, protest over arms trade

Christian campaigners from across the traditions prayed and campaigned for an end to the arms trade on Sunday, following a year of increasing public concern over the issue.

The Christian Network of the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) organised the Day of Prayer, which was marked throughout the UK.

Under pressure from CAAT, the High Court ruled in April that the Government had acted unlawfully in cutting short a Serious Fraud Office investigation into BAE's Saudi arms deals.

The same month saw the closure of the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO), a government-run agency to promote private arms sales, and the network welcomed Reed Elsevier's sale last week of its arms fairs in response to a public campaign.

CAAT spokesperson Symon Hill said ahead of the day of prayer: "I thank God that the Christian community in Britain is playing such a strong role in struggles against the arms trade.

"The outrage over BAE's influence is just one sign of the sharp rise in public concern."

The day of prayer was part of Stop the Arms Trade Week, which runs from 1 to 8 June.

Prayers were said at Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United Reformed Churches.

"This Sunday let's be inspired by the example of Christians who campaigned to end the transatlantic slave trade over two hundred years ago," said Hill ahead of the campaign. "With God's help, we can defeat another trade in human lives."

Christians supporting CAAT include the Anglican Bishop of Salisbury David Stancliffe, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Brentwood Thomas McMahon and the Baptist Norman Kember, who survived kidnapping in Iraq.