UK must stop selling weapons to regimes which use them against unarmed civilians, says Roger
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Following the disgraceful revelation that UK-manufactured tear gas was used against unarmed protestors in Hong Kong, Roger tabled Parliamentary Questions to press the Government on its arms exports policy.
He commented: “It is utterly disgraceful that UK companies continue to make a profit by selling weapons which are used against civilian demonstrations. It is not acceptable for this to be down to the “conscience” of individual arms companies, if indeed they possess such a thing—we need a coherent Government policy which prevents the export of equipment which will be used for internal repression.
“In Hong Kong, we are seeing repeated the kind of awful scenes which have already taken place in Gaza and Bahrain. The world is horrified at the abuses which are perpetrated against civilians, and the world also sees that the equipment used to carry out these atrocities is stamped with ‘Made in Britain’. Is this really the image of the UK we want to be spread around the world? Do we want to be the country which helps dictators to remain in power by oppressing their own citizens?”
Roger tabled Written Parliamentary Questions to ask the Government what assessment is carried out of the risk of tear gas being used for internal repression before an export licence is granted; under what circumstances of internal repression or violation of international humanitarian law an export licence for tear gas would be suspended or withdrawn; and how much tear gas the UK exports each year.
