Date/Time
Date(s) - 24 Jan 2019
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Thursday 24 January 2019
Starting at 7.30pm
Dorset Gardens Methodist Church
Dorset Gardens
Brighton BN2 1RL
(just off St James’s Street)
Hosted by Brighton Campaign Against the Arms Trade and
Brighton & Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Speakers
Lloyd Russell-Moyle
Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown
and Member of the Parliamentary Committees on Arms Export Controls
Ryvka Barnard
Senior Campaigns Officer (Militarism and Security), War on Want
Huda Ammori
Campaigns Officer, Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Public opinion in Britain is shifting against the government’s support for a profiteering arms trade
The government states officially that it will not approve arms export licences where the export would “provoke or prolong armed conflicts or aggravate existing tensions or conflicts”. More and more people recognise this as hypocritical nonsense. Awareness has been raised by the war in Yemen, where UK arms have had a devastating impact: Saudi forces are using UK aircraft and bombs to inflict a humanitarian catastrophe.
This is a critical moment for British campaigners opposed to the UK arms trade
There are signs we may have a General Election this year. A Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn promises to implement a foreign policy that puts ethics and human rights at its heart – including a fresh approach to arms imports and exports.
Campaigners have recently achieved small but significant successes
HSBC Bank announced in late December that they have ended their business dealings with Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer. This followed 18 months of sustained campaigning by groups around the country, including Brighton.
The links have never been clearer between the arms trade, profiteering big business, UK government policy and oppressive regimes around the world.
This public meeting is an opportunity to learn more about current developments and to take stock of the actions that we as ordinary people can take to defend human rights.
“The question is, are UK arms sales breaking international humanitarian law? Are those arms sales to nasty regimes? Are those arms sales going to harm British interests? British people? Are those arms sales going to be creating more war not less war?”
Lloyd Russell-Moyle, quoted in The Canary 13 September 2018
“Militarised conflict is one of the chief causes of poverty. When fuelled by greed for resources, it is civilians and local communities who suffer, and big business that profits.”
War on Want
“The UK is complicit in Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights through our arms trade. Despite the illegality of Israel’s occupation and apartheid system, the UK is one of the main arms exporters to Israel as well as a major purchaser of Israeli weapons and weapon technology. The chain of complicity extends to various corporate stakeholders who profit from Israel’s oppression of Palestinians, including UK high street bank, HSBC.”
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
“The arms business has a devastating impact on human rights and security, and damages economic development. Large scale military procurement and arms exports only reinforce a militaristic approach to international problems.”
Campaign Against Arms Trade