Tag: arms trade

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Yemen Can’t Wait online rally

The Saudi-led war on Yemen is about to enter its sixth destructive year. According to a recent UN report, the war has already claimed 233,000 lives. It is estimated that 80% of the Yemeni population need humanitarian assistance – some 24 million people.

And who is the main Western backer of the war? Boris Johnson and his Tory government. Even after Joe Biden announced an end to US support for the war the British government shamefully continues to sell bombs and aircraft to the Saudi regime who have created the worst humanitarian crisis on earth.

Join us in two weeks time as we call on the British government to stop prolonging the carnage in Yemen by ending all arms sales and military support for the Saudi-led coalition immediately.

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Boris Johnson: Stop Arming Saudi Arabia

SIGN THE PETITION

President Joe Biden’s announcement of an end to US support for the war on Yemen and a suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia is a welcome change to US foreign policy. Shamefully, the British government continues to support the war which has created the worst humanitarian crisis on earth. The overwhelming majority of those with views oppose the war and oppose arms sales to Saudi Arabia on both sides of the Atlantic.

Following the Biden announcement and the World Says No to War on Yemen Global Day of Action involving tens of thousands of people in 28 countries, Stop the War is stepping up its campaign to demand the British government ends all support for the war and all arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Stop the War Convenor, Lindsey German, said: ‘The crisis in Yemen which threatens the lives of more than 20 million people is not a natural disaster, it is a direct result of the Saudi-led war of which Britain is now the main western backer. Quite simply, Johnson and Raab have blood on their hands. Their support for the carnage in Yemen must end immediately’.

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Soldier’s Protest Against British Arms to Saudi Arabia

A British soldier from the Electronic Warfare Regiment has taken a stand against the UK backed Saudi-led war on Yemen by protesting outside the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in full uniform.

Ahmed Al-Babati was filmed with a sign beside him that read ‘I REFUSE TO CONTINUE MY MILITARY SERVICE UNTIL THE DEAL WITH SAUDI COMES TO AN END’ before being led away by military police.

In a pre-recorded statement Al-Babati spelled out his opposition to the continuing sale of arms to the Saudi regime:

“I joined the army in 2017 and took an oath to protect and serve this country, not to be part of a corrupt government that continues to arm and support terrorism. What made this decision so easy for me and why I choose to sacrifice a lot of things including possibly my freedom is for the simple fact that me myself as somebody that was born in Yemen I could have easily fell victim to one of those air strikes or died out of hunger. I’ve seen enough not to speak out and I’d rather sleep peacefully in a cell than stay silent for a paycheck.” We support Al-Babati because we believe that the armed forces should not be pursuing aggressive wars abroad. We urge that no disciplinary action is taken against Al-Babati’s stand of conscience. Please sign and share the petition below in support of his actions.

SIGN AND SHARE THE PETITION
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An interview with Steve Sprung, director of ‘The Plan’

In conjunction with Merseyside Pensioners’ Association, we recently held a very successful meeting where we screened ‘The Plan’, a documentary about the Lucas Aerospace workers who devised a way to move production towards ‘socially useful products’ and away from arms manufacturing.

Here, the film’s director, Steve Sprung discusses the The Plan, corporate welfare and UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia.


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Saudi Arms Sales Ruled Unlawful

Earlier today the Court of Appeal ruled that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen are UNLAWFUL.

The Court found that the government had failed to properly assess whether there have been breaches of International Humanitarian Law.

This historic judgment means that the government must now stop issuing new arms exports licences and suspend existing licences to export arms to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen, and retake all decisions in accordance with the law.

These sales should never have been licensed in the first place. Even as schools, hospitals, weddings, and funerals have been bombed, the government has licensed the sale of billions of pounds of weapons for use in the conflict.

We have now shown that these arms sales were not just immoral, but also unlawful. But even now the government is likely to resist. Every step of the way it has done all it can to keep the weapons flowing

We need MPs to know about this ruling, to keep building the pressure to stop these sales once and for all.

Please email your MP today and help us make this count: caat.org.uk/unlawful

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