Submitted 1 day ago by BrikoX@lemmy.zip to unitedkingdom@feddit.uk
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025/09/12/green-mp-spots-banned-cluster-bombs-at-london-arms-fair/
Sian Berry spots outlawed cluster bombs on display at arms fair - but pensioners protesting genocide are the ones being dragged away by cops
She may have seen cluster munitions at the fare.
But that picture shows an 84 mm high explosive impact fuze for a M-84 Carl Gustav recoilless rifle and an 81 mm fuze tip for for 81 mm mortar round.
Neither if these are cluster munitions.
I’ve used both back in my army days.
I am downvoting you for bitching about downvotes.
Just to be clear.
I downvoted this, largely because while you may have identified the photo correctly the way you’ve done so here makes it sound like Berry has made a mistake when there’s no evidence of that from the article.
From her X post (why the fuck are these people still on X?):
Confirmed by staff, and removed swiftly by event organisers.
I literally started my comment off by acknowledging that she might have seen cluster munitions but downvote away.
Can you explain how a munition exploding near infantry causing mayhem and death is different from a cluster bomb doing so?
Or is the main difference going to be scale and wordplay to claim legality of ownership/sale?
Cluster munitions has a clear definition. It acquired a clear definition when the treaty was drafted. Cluster munitions release a … cluster (group) of smaller munitions that themselves explode on impact.
Fragmentation munitions break apart and the fragments cause death and destruction.
If someone claims that she’s seen cluster munitions that were outlawed, she’s claiming to have seen cluster munitions that were outlawed, not fragmentation munitions. We may not like either, I certainly don’t, but one type is illegal and another type is not. The picture she’s used it’s actually not even munitions, it’s fuzes, ie the thing that makes munitions detonate.
obligatory “why were you at the gay bar” comment
Probably to draw attention to an arms fair peddling banned weapons being held in the UK.
There definitely needs to be more people who aren’t interested in peddling death attending these events to ensure that they play within the very broad guidelines afforded them.
frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io 1 day ago
Why does an arms fair even exist? Some psycho oligarch shit happening out there.
ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 day ago
For the same reason any trade show exists. To make deals.
wizzor@sopuli.xyz 1 day ago
I think it’s for the defence industry to network and customers (militaries and other state actors mostly) to get to know what’s available.