Renowned figures from the arts, politics and academia call for suspension of arms sales

Posted by Caabu on 04 Mar 2011 | Comments

A group of distinguished authors, academics, film directors, musicians, actors and politicians have joined with Caabu, urging David Cameron to suspend arms sales to regimes that engage in repression. In an open letter, published in a major newspaper on Thursday, they ask that the UK government be “on the right side of the historic realignment” currently unfolding in the Arab world. (Full list here)

Signatories include director Ken Loach, actor Ralph Fiennes, human rights campaigner Jemima Khan, actress Julie Christie and author Irvine Welsh. The letter comes after weeks of protest across the Arab world and the killing of demonstrators in countries that receive arms from the UK.

Other signatories include authors Roddy Doyle and Monica Ali, the leader of the Green Party Caroline Lucas MP, actress Tilda Swinton, philosopher Professor A.C. Grayling and former leader of the Liberal Party the Rt Hon Lord David Steel.

Chris Doyle, Director of Caabu, welcomed the support from such an eminent group and called upon David Cameron to take action:

“The people of the Arab world are showing immense courage and bravery by standing up to their regimes in aspiring for a better future. We welcome the UN arms embargo on Libya, but as protestors are killed across the region it is morally untenable for the UK to continue selling weapons to the governments of such countries. The Prime Minister must ask how these sales fit with his support for democracy, including the transfer of arms to Israel whilst they continue to the repress the wishes of the people of the Palestinian Territories."

The full text of the letter published on 3rd March 2011 reads:

Dear Mr Cameron

It is morally untenable to support democracy in the Middle East whilst selling arms that can be used by regimes to subvert the wishes and aspirations of the people under their rule.

We, the undersigned, welcome the UN’s recent embargo on arms to Libya but call upon the government of the United Kingdom to halt immediately the sale of arms to any regimes that engage in repression. The police and armed forces of Bahrain, Israel, Morocco and Yemen continue to use violence to put down popular protest. People across the region are risking their lives to fight for their democratic and human rights.

Britain’s role in the Middle East and North Africa must change fundamentally if we are to be on the right side of the historic realignment we are currently witnessing in the Arab world.

Signed  - To see a full list of signatories please click here. 

To join the singatories please email caabu@caabu.org

Donations towards the Democracy appeal and the costs of the advert are also very welcome

Leila Aboulela, author

Monica Ali, author

Fatima Bhutto, poet/author

Professor John C Brown, Astronomer Royal for Scotland

Julie Christie, actress

William Dalrymple, historian/travel writer

Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize winning author

Ralph Fiennes, actor

Esther Freud, author

Anthony C Grayling, philosopher/author

Imran Khan, cricketer/politician

Jemima Khan, human rights activist

Hanif Kureshi, author

Ken Loach, film director

Andy Love MP, Chair of Caabu

Caroline Lucas MP, Leader of the Green Party

Michael Mansfield QC, human rights barrister

Daniyal Mueenuddin, Pulitzer Prize winning author

Roger Lloyd Pack, actor

John Pilger, journalist

Ahmed Rashid, author

Professor Steven Rose, Open University academic

Nadim Sawalha, actor

Alexei Sayle, comedian/actor

Ahdaf Soueif, author

Rt. Hon Lord Steel of Aikwood, former Liberal Party leader

Tilda Swinton, actress

Irvine Welsh, author

Joe Wright, film director

 

Update

 

Since the advert was printed, Caabu is delighted that these signatories have been joined by many other people including such prominent personalities as:

Khaled Abdalla, actor

Louis de Bernieres, author

Professor Noam Chomsky, linguist and philosopher

Rana Dasgupta, Commonwealth Writers' prize winner

Kiran Desai, Mann Book prize winner

Stephen Frears, oscar nominated film director

Paul Greengrass, film director

Mohammed Hanif, author/journalist

Jeremy Hardy, comedian

Bianca Jagger, human rights activist

Professor Jim Al-Khalili, University of Surrey academic

Andrew O'Hagan, author

Ziauddin Sardar, writer/broadcaster

Kamila Shamsie, novelist

Anoushka Shankar, musician

Colin Thubron, author and President of the Royal Society of Literature

Sam West, actor