No night at the Museum for arms dealers

Farnborough International might be best known for its airshow but, behind the family days out, the real business takes place at its arms fair and aerospace exhibition.

In 2012, the 37 buyer countries invited by the UK government to Farnborough Airshow included unstable or authoritarian regimes such as Algeria, Bahrain, Libya and Saudi Arabia. Rosoboronexport, the main weapons supplier to the Assad regime in Syria, was a major exhibitor.

The Natural History Museum hosted the official reception for Farnborough, where hundreds of delegates celebrated the opening of the arms fair.

In the words of the organisers the reception is "THE most important event during the Farnborough week, exclusively attended by key industry senior level figures, international delegations and exhibitors … a must attend event and an unparalleled networking opportunity."

No more arms trade events at the Museum!

We're asking the Natural History Museum not to support the Farnborough arms fair, where weapons sales are promoted to human rights abusers, or other such events. Our public institutions should not be supporting the arms trade. Add your voice by emailing the Museum's Director today. Please consider adding a personal message explaining your views.