Christian peace activists have staged a protest over a conference on military capability and strategy being held at the Church of England’s administrative headquarters in London.
The Land Warfare conference, organised by the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), a defence thinktank, on behalf of the UK’s chief of staff, opened at Church House in Westminster on Tuesday. The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, will address the conference on Wednesday.
More than 3,000 people have signed a petition launched by Campaign Against Arms Trade, demanding that the C of E refuse to host military conferences.
Visitors to the conference on Tuesday morning were greeted by a small group holding a service of Holy Communion on the steps of Church House, led by the Anglican priest Helen Hayes.
She said: “The victims of war need the church’s voice to stand with them, stand for them, not collude with those who stand in the corridors of power and further enable them to oppress the weak and the vulnerable.
“We all need to see the consequences of our actions and confess where we have not had the courage to speak out for those most in need so that we may stand firm in the name of peace.”
According to Rusi’s website, the Land Warfare conference “will reflect on the breadth of challenges confronting today’s land forces in a global security environment characterised by constant competition and unpredictability”.
As well as housing C of E offices, Church House markets itself as a conference and events venue in the heart of Westminster. The archbishops of Canterbury and York sit on the Corporation of the Church House.
A C of E spokesperson said Church House provided a meeting space and conference facilities for a wide range of bodies.
“Rusi is a long-established thinktank which deals with foreign policy, defence and security. To suggest that by accepting this booking from the Rusi Church House is accepting money from arms dealers or is supporting arms sales is ludicrous,” the spokesperson said.
The Fellowship of Reconciliation, a Christian pacifist group, said it had been calling for a change of policy relating to Church House conferences since 2012. The organisation’s Emma Anthony said: “The church is lending its reputation as a moral institution to arms companies.”
