Last week, I was standing in a dock with four friends, knowing we were each likely to end the week with criminal records and fines.

I knew that if we were unlucky, we might end the week in prison. Instead, I am sitting at home with a cup of tea and a sense of relief. All five of us were found not guilty.

My relief is mixed with anger. We had been arrested for non-violently blocking one of the entrances to the London arms fair.

The companies which were thrown out of the arms fair for selling illegal torture equipment have not even been charged.

This is the sixth consecutive occasion on which illegal weaponry has been removed from the London arms fair, known euphemistically as Defence & Security Equipment International, or DSEi.

This has happened only when its presence has been revealed in the media. None of those responsible have been prosecuted.

Although we were acquitted, other activists will be on trial later this month for their own peaceful protests against DSEi.

Throughout our trial, I was sustained by the encouragement and good humour of my fellow defendants — James Clayton, Chloe Skinner, Chris Wood and Dan Woodhouse.

Over 40 people joined a vigil outside the court and hundreds sent messages of support. We were deeply moved.

Five months have passed since the day when we formed part of a group who blocked the arms fair entrance by kneeling in prayer and singing hymns. We did so in solidarity with people of many religions and none who are resisting militarism and corporate power.

We were inspired by activists in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere who risk far more than us to challenge brutal regimes which attended the London arms fair.

Our actions felt minor by comparison, but I’m ready to admit that I became increasingly stressed as the trial approached.

Chris and I had long discussions about whether we would pay a fine or refuse to do so and go to prison.

Dan had a dream in which we were all sent down for three months — the maximum penalty for aggravated trespass, the offence with which we were charged. But the support we received made an uncalculable difference.

The trial was not without humour. When the prosecution tried to play footage of our arrests, the DVD player failed to work.

The problem was solved when a detective constable suggested switching it off and switching it back on again.

The prosecutor tried to challenge James on his comments on Twitter while appearing to have little idea of how Twitter works.

A police officer testified that during my arrest I was “shouting loudly throughout in a religious manner.” I had described the arms trade as “sinful.”

In the end the judge declined to rule on whether the presence of torture equipment gave us a “reasonable excuse.”

Instead, she acquitted us on the grounds that we had reason to expect the police to give us another warning before arresting us.

During the trial a police officer testified that he and his colleagues at DSEi were briefed about protests but not about possible illegality within the arms fair.

On the police footage of our arrests, we can be heard offering to move if the police investigate the arms dealers.

The chief inspector in charge refused to do so. One policeman told Chloe that investigating arms dealers was “above my pay grade.”
I should make clear that I object not only to illegal weaponry but to legal weapons too.

But this evidence makes clear that — however decent the motivations of some individual police officers — the police are deployed at DSEi for the benefit of arms dealers.

This is yet another reminder that the authorities in Britain are in bed with the arms industry.

Nonetheless, I am aware that we held up the arms dealers for nearly an hour. I cannot tell who was stopped from getting in or what meetings were prevented because of our action.

It may have caused only a tiny dent in the arms industry but I can say this — if we stopped one arms deal, it was worth it.