Green MSP for the West of Scotland Ross Greer has called for an immediate ban on weapons & equipment produced in the UK, including Scotland, being sold to Saudi Arabia.
This followed the revelation that £836 million worth of military equipment has been sold to the Saudis in the first half of 2017, at the same time as they are being investigated for human rights abuses in Yemen . These sales came in part from companies based in Scotland, such as Raytheon UK, who produce the laser-guidance system for smart bombs which have been used against civilians in Yemen.
These arms sales are actively promoted by the UK Government, with Defence Secretary Michael Fallon recently on 25th October speaking out against those who criticise Saudi Arabia and saying “we need to do everything possible to encourage Saudi Arabia towards batch two [of sales of Typhoon fighter jets]”.
Saudi Arabia has been engaged in a conflict in Yemen since March 2015, in which the UN estimates there have been over 13,000 civilian casualties, significantly due to Saudi bombing, where over three million people have been displaced, seven million are at risk of starvation and a cholera outbreak has occurred.
The United Nations in September agreed to an independent investigation into human rights abuses, following incidents inclusion the Saudi bombing of a funeral, which killed over 140 people. (4)
Ross Greer has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament condemning arm sales to Saudi Arabia and calling for a ban on future sales.
Mr Greer said: “It is appalling that the Westminster Government not only continues to issue licences for UK arms companies to sell weaponry to Saudi Arabia, but also sends its Defence Minister to promote arms sales over human rights concerns. Saudi airstrikes are slaughtering innocent civilians across Yemen, creating a crisis of disease, starvation and destruction. As the death toll continues to rise, it is simply unacceptable that the UK Government continues to allow and even promote this state-sanctioned murder.
“Scotland deserves better than firms like Raytheon UK profiting from death and destruction. We must take action to ban arms sales to Saudi Arabia and to turn our industrial focus towards the jobs-rich sectors such as energy which benefit global society rather than those which cause so much suffering. I hope other MSPs will support this call, following the lead of churches, charities and civic leaders across the world.”