Two members of the Catholic Worker movement, including a priest, have been arrested at the London arms fair. They poured red paint over an entrance sign before kneeling in prayer beneath a banner asking God to forgive arms dealers.

London’s arms fair has opened this morning to a wave of protest and criticism. Protestors have demonstrated both outside the fair and at the offices of UKTI, the government unit through which the arms fair is subsidised.

The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has pointed to nationwide protests against the arms industry as evidence of “public revulsion". Such feelings are expected to increase ahead of the London arms fair in September.

The government unit responsible for promoting British exports, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), is facing calls for an end to its role in the arms trade, as activists launch a new campaign to keep up pressure on the suthorities.