Arms trade campaigners have condemned British defence manufacturer BAE Systems for making a donation towards remembrance events.

The company says its support of the Royal British Legion's Festival of Remembrance on Saturday - honouring British, Commonwealth and Allied servicemen and women killed in wars - is entirely appropriate.

But the Campaign Against the Arms Trade said the presence of the BAE Systems logo, on promotional material for Remembrance Sunday, contradicted the sentiments behind the event.

Campaign spokesman Richard Bingley told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's almost like King Herod sponsoring a special day reserved to prevent child cruelty.

Its main function is to produce massive weapons systems which are designed to kill

Richard Bingley, Campaign Against the Arms Trade

"BAE is the country's largest arms exporter.

"Its weapons recently have ended up in Israel, Zimbabwe, India, Pakistan.

"But its main function is to produce massive weapons systems which are designed to kill, often as many people as possible."

Poppy days

The Festival of Remembrance is an annual event at the Royal Albert Hall organised by the Royal British Legion.

It unites people around the country for a service of Remembrance and a two-minute silence for those who have died in conflicts.

The festival is part of the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal activities to help support ex-servicemen and women.

Fallen comrades are remembered on 11 November

Poppies are sold in the run up to Remembrance Day - on the second Sunday in November - and Armistice Day on 11 November.

A spokesman for BAE Systems said: "For probably the whole of the last century we have provided equipment for the British Armed Forces.

"It does not seem entirely unusual that we should sponsor the Royal British Legion in the way in which we have.

"We, after all, are the legacy company that made the Spitfire, the Lancaster and many of the ships of the Royal Navy.

"The Royal British Legion are all about remembering the war dead. This is a charitable donation."

A Legion spokesman said the charity was grateful for the support of BAE Systems and many other companies.

He said: "The commitment from companies together with funds from sponsors, donations, legacies and fundraising underpins the �48 million the Legion spends each year providing counselling, job retraining, skills assessment, pensions and benefits, advice, grants for setting up small businesses, welfare grants, convalescent and nursing support."

Air Vice Marshal Tony Mason, of the University of Birmingham, told the Today programme the weekend was about servicemen and women who had given their lives for others from World War One onwards.

"British Aerospace has armed them in the Falklands, Kuwait, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan and I don't think it's at all inappropriate for the British Legion to receive their support," he said.

He told Today: "Weapons are neutral and ours have been used in support of international law and humanitarian operations, and these are honourable causes, and that is what we are remembering, not any international arms trade."