Photo by Association France Palestine Solidarité.
This morning, the Dublin, Ireland-based Front Line Defenders and HRD Memorial released their Global Analysis 2025/26 report that documents that Palestine was the second most deadly country for human rights defenders in 2025 (160 HRDs were killed in Colombia, 43 in Palestine, 43 in Mexico, that along with other killings total at least 358 human rights defenders from 28 different countries).
Guerre à la guerre (War on War) has been organizing against the Eurosatory arms show, the world’s largest land and air defence trade show, that is taking place this week in Villepinte situated north-east of Paris.
Their listed activities include: “Monday, June 15, in Villepinte to protest the opening of the trade show!”
Anadolu Français now reports: “Pro-Palestinian activists on Monday blocked the road leading to the Eurosatory international arms fair, held in Villepinte, near Paris, to protest against the participation of Israeli companies in the event.”
That article continues: “Gathered near the exhibition center, the demonstrators waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags as well as placards bearing the slogan ‘Stop the war profiteers.’ …The demonstrators also staged a sit-in on a roundabout near the exhibition centre. …The mobilization took place to the sound of several songs and music, including the Italian song ‘Bella Ciao’.”
The Activestills Collective has also posted on Instagram: “TODAY. Protesters block the entrance at the opening of Eurosatory, Europe’s largest defence show, to demonstrate against the participation of Israeli firms, in Villepinte, north of Paris. The protesters were held for three hours by police at the site and several were taken into the police stations. Although Israel will not have a national pavilion at Eurosatory, Israeli companies will still present their products. The French Minister for Foreign Affairs claims he informed the organisers that only defensive equipment could be displayed. The demonstration was co-organised by the Stop Arming Israel France group and the collective ‘guerre à la guerre’, which have organised many demonstrations and actions in front of French companies selling weapons to Israel, or components to be used in Israeli ammunition or military equipment. Sales to a state committing genocide, as Israel is doing in Gaza, could amount to war crimes and is in violation of both EU and domestic French laws.”
Photos from the protest can be found at Anadolu English, plus from the Activestills Collective, along with video from Alma Plus TV, additional videos from Sputnik Nusantara, and photos from BDS France. Video still below from Sputnik Africa.
Haaretz also reported: “Among the exhibitors were dozens of small and medium-sized Israeli companies. But on the eve of the opening, several discovered that their stands had been sealed off behind gray plywood panels.” And The Jerusalem Post noted: “Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, IAI-Israel Aerospace Industries, and Elbit Systems were allowed to display their platforms.”
BHRC report
In their report Navigating a global crossroads: Human rights defenders and business in 2025, the London, United Kingdom-based Business and Human Rights Centre (BHRC) documented: “Protesters at arms fairs targeting companies selling weapons to Israel were detained in the United States, Turkey, Switzerland and France, whilst activists in New Zealand faced violence for protesting the militarisation of aerospace technology and its uses against civilian populations.”
Overall, the Business and Human Rights Centre documented 46 attacks against human rights defenders raising concerns about arms and weapons companies and their complicity in conflict and genocide.
The Ottawa-based Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), whose members include the world’s largest weapons companies, has posted on social media that it will be at Eurosatory this week.
Movement building
On May 7, 2026, PBI-Canada participated in the “Shut It Down: Global Actions Disrupting the Arms Trade” webinar featuring movement activists from Stop Arming Israel-France, Desarma Madrid, Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT-United Kingdom), alongside Labour Against the Arms Trade and the Shut Down CANSEC campaign in Canada. The webinar was organized jointly by the Shut Down CANSEC campaign and the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS).
We will continue to look for updates and analysis posted on Instagram by Guerre à la guerre here.
For more about the Shut Down CANSEC campaign, click here.
As part of its commitment to the holistic accompaniment of human rights defenders and journalists, Peace Brigades International-Canada is observing the intersection between the export of weapons, the implications of those weapons on organizations, defenders and communities around the world, and the increasing criminalization of those who are challenging the arms trade.
