Letter to David Cameron
We have now received a reply from Mr Cameron, which can be accessed here.
For an analysis of his response, click here.
3rd March 2011
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:
- Irene Abbotts, teacher
- Khaled Abdalla, actor
- Dr Sheila Abdullah
- Leila Aboulela, author
- Amani Abouzeid
- Celia Adams
- Baroness Afshar, politician/academic
- Professor John Akker, Former General Secretary of NATFHE
- Monica Ali, author
- Razia Ali
- Belinda Allan
- Jane Allan
- Peter Allmond
- Shihab Almahdawi
- Seem Alsasa
- Lord Alton, politician
- Mohammed Amin
- Tahmina Anam, author
- Dr Imad El Anis, University of Nottingham Trent academic
- Sara Yasmin Anwar
- Sara Apps
- Dr Omar Ashour, University of Exeter academic
- Denise Atkinson
- Natacha Atlas, musician
- Janet St John-Austen
- John Austin, former MP
- Professor Abd al-Fattah El-Awaisi, academic
- Christoph Aymanns
- Maha Azzam, Middle East expert
- Willy Bach
- Michael Bailey, humanitarian worker
- Caabu Parliamentary Officer
- Ray Barkley
- Pete Barlow
- Barbara Barnett
- Lucy Batchelor, child protection consultant
- Professor Christopher Bayly, Cambridge academic
- Felix Beaulieu
- Rosemary Bechler, journalist
- Cllr Elise Benjamin
- Phyllis Bennis, author
- Dennis Bentley
- Louis de Bernieres, author
- Neil Berry, journalist
- Roger Berry, former MP
- Stephen Berry
- Zarina Bhatia
- Fatima Bhutto, poet/author
- John Bishop
- Cllr Jonathan Bloch
- Philip Bond, actor
- Marieke Bosman, Development Consultant
- Dr Glenn Bowman, University of Kent academic
- Dr A.L. Bradshaw
- Patricia Brar
- Bob Brass
- Colin Breed, former MP
-
Dr Sebastian Brock
-
Hilary Brooks
- Professor John C Brown, Astronomer Royal for Scotland
- Jonathan Busby, journalist
- Revd John P Butler
- Oliver Butterworth, musician
- Diana Buttu
- Emre Caliskan, journalist
- Celine Cantat, researcher
- Paola Casola
- Ghalia Chabarek
- Dr John Chalcraft, London School of Economics academic
- Hanane Ahmed-Chaouch
- Michael Carr
- Malcom Chapman
- Amit Chaudhuri, author
- Professor Noam Chomsky, linguist and philosopher
- Julie Christie, actress
- Norma Cohen
- Judy Connor
- Dera Cooper
- Laura Corballis
- Christopher Cotter
- Dr Chris Burns-Cox
- Nick Craig
- Revd Tony Crowe
- Suha Al-Dabbagh, Caabu Education Assistant
- Rose Dailey
- Adel Dajani
- Arwa Dajani
- Lubna Dajani
- Nadia Dajani
- William Dalrymple, historian/travel writer
- Rada Daniell
- Clive Darling
- Rana Dasgupta, Commonwealth Writers' prize winner
- Humphrey Davies, translator
- John Dean
- James Denslow, Middle East expert
- Kiran Desai, Mann Book prize winner
- Arianna Dini
- Tishani Doshi, novelist and dancer
- Lilian El-Doufani
- Chris Doyle, Caabu Director
- Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize winning author
- Lord Alf Dubbs, politician
-
Catherine Duckett
- Peter Durant, photographer
- Lord Hugh Dykes, politician
- Nadia Dzigal
- Baroness Hussein-Ece, politician
- Liz Edwards
- Rowan Eisner
- Michael Ellman
- Cllr Gareth Epps, politician
- Paramo Ernesto
- Emanuelle Degli Esposti, journalist
- Adam Fabry
- Abdullah Faliq
- Steve Fallows
- Tawna Farmer
- David Farr, writer/director
- Ralph Fiennes, actor
- Sylvia Finzi
- Sally Fitzharris
- Stephen Frears, oscar nominated film director
- Jane Frere
- Esther Freud, author
- Nancy Fromer
- John Furmanek
- Marina Galanti
- Alan Gaunt
- Professor Sharif Gemie, university lecturer
- Hamze Giaffar
- Dr David Gibbon
- Cllr Roger Giles
- Charles Glass, journalist
- Angela Glendenning
- James Goddard MBE
- Tricia Goddard
- Carmen Perrera-Goher
- Jeremy Gray
- Michael Graubart, composer
- Anthony C Grayling, philosopher/author
- Sharon Green
- Paul Greengrass, director
- Ana Griffiths
- Flora C M Griffiths
- Inas Hafez
- Sanaa Hafez
- Margie Haig
- Judith Vidal-Hall
- Anna Halloran
- Toby Halloran, journalist
- Mohsin Hamid, author
- Robin Cole-Hamilton
- Professor Daphne Hampson, academic
- Mohammed Hanif, author/journalist
- Cliff Hanley
- Anthony Hannay
- Ash Hardenne, human rights activist
- Jeremy Hardy, comedian
- Samira Hassassian
- Jenny Hawes
- Abe Hayeem
- Rosamine Hayeem
- Lucy Hayter
- Rob Hazlehurst
- Canon Garth Hewitt
- George Hishmeh
- Gehad Homsey
- Sally El Hosaini, screenwriter/director
- Jocelyn Hurndall, campaigner/author
- Lord Hylton, politician
- Sammi Ibrahem
-
Dr Lamees Ibrahim
- Revd Geraint ap Iorwerth
- Leila Ingrams, researcher and writer
- Omar Ismail
- Bianca Jagger, human rights advocate/campaigner
- Cllr Dr Ismail Jalili
- Rohan Jayasekera, journalist/editor
- Julie Mason-Jebb
- Isabel Johnston
- Ghalia Kabbani, writer and journalist
- Mustapha Karkouti, commentator, writer
- Dr Ghada Karmi, doctor/academic/author/activist
- Matthew Kaufeler
- Brigid Keenan, journalist and author
- Bruce Kent, political activist
- Hannah Khalil, playwright
- Professor Jim Al-Khalili, University of Surrey academic
- Sajid Ali Khan
- Imran Khan, cricketer/politician
- Jemima Khan, human rights activist
- Professor Mushtaq Khan, academic
- Aidan L. Kiernander
- Nerissa Kisdon
- Stevie Krayer, poet
- Wendy Kristianasen, journalist
- Hari Kunzru, author
- Hanif Kureshi, author
- Nadira Jaffer Kurtha
- Emeritus Professor Ailsa Land
- Emeritus Professor Frank Land
- Hugh Lanning, PalestineSolidarity Campaign Chair
- Sherif Abdel Latif
- Rhia Lawrence, vocalist
- Khalil M Lawry
- Anna Lermon
- Valerie Lermon
- Marsha Levine
-
Emeritus Professor Raymond Levy
- Ken Loach, film director
- Carol Logan
- Susan Loppert
- Leven Loskun
- Andy Love MP, Chair of Caabu
- Caroline Lucas MP, leader of the Green Party
- Tim Ludford, humanitarian worker
- Gillian Lunnon
- Daniel Machover, Chair of Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights
- Deborah Maccoby
- Mohamed Ben-Madani, journalist/broadcaster
- Beryl Maizels
- Michael Mansfield QC, human rights barrister
- Richard Le Mare
- Jake Marsden
- Dr Michael Marten, academic
- Dr Dina Matar, School of Oriental and African Studies academic
- Almendra McBride, journalist
- Iwan McBride
- Bridget McCall
- Sally McCarter
- John McHugo, international lawyer
- Cassidy McKenna
- Neil McLaren, teacher
- Dee McLoughlin
- Hilda Meers
- Reyes Menes
- Jane Miller
- Pankaj Mishra, author
- Bdour Mohamed
- John Mood
- Pat Mood
- Elizabeth Morley
- Georgina Mortimer
- Daniyal Mueenuddin, Pulitzer Prize winning author
- Dr Corinna Mullin, academic
- Dr Karma Nabulsi, Oxford academic and former PLO representative
- Ramsey Pietro Nasser
- Dr Daniel Neep
- Diana Neslen
- Professor Tim Niblock, academic
- Lorna Nix
- Margaret Obank
- Andrew O'Hagan, author
- Yamama Al-Oraibi
- Caitlin Moriaty-Osborne
- Mark Osborne, artist
- Llewellyn Osbourne, musician
- Kais Osman
- Patrick Owen
- Roger Lloyd Pack, actor
- John Padley
- I. S. Parkin
- Edward Parsons, Caabu Education Officer
- Alison Payne
- Ben Pearce
- Oliver Pearce
- Gordon Pearson
- Roshan Pedder
- Basharat Peer, journalist
- Kathryn Perry
-
Alexandra Lort Phillips
- John Pilger, journalist
- D Pilgrim
- Selma Piro
- Dr Dan Plesch, School of Oriental and African Studies academic
- Caroline Poeseul
- Alison Prager
- Peter Prager
- Sylvia Prager
- Hilda Pressdee
- Dr Hassan Qasrawi
- M A Qavi
- Joanna Rabiger
- Maha Rahwanji
- Dr Adam Ramadan, academic
- Maud Ramadan
- Stephanie Ramamurthy
- Anna Raphael
- Ahmed Rashid, author
- Lord Rupert Redesdale, politician
- Cllr Lorna Reith
- Dave Rendle
- Neville Rigby
- Dr Brian Robinson
- Max Rodenbeck, journalist
- Steve Roman
- Professor Caroline Rooney, academic
- Dr Geoffrey Roper, academic
- Professor Hilary Rose, London School of Economics academic
- Professor Steven Rose, Open University academic
- Lucy Rouse, journalist
- Mary Russell
- Desmond Ryan
- Karl Sabbagh, author
- Mortaza Sahibzada
- Frankie Sahni
- Jehan Saleh
- Luca Salice, translator
- Patricia Salti OBE
- Maxim Sansour
- Ziauddin Sardar, writer/broadcaster
- Margaret Sarosi
- Anthony Sattin, journalist/broadcaster
- Nadim Sawalha, actor
- Alexei Sayle, comedian/actor
- May Sayonas
- Peter Sayonas
- Patrick Seale, journalist
- Dr Aimee Shalan, Caabu Head of Development
- Kamila Shamsie, novelist
- Anoushka Shankar, musician
- Shaza Shannan, management consultant/teacher
- Michael Shaw
- Dr Nadia E El-Shazly, academic
- Nadim Shehadeh, academic
- Professor Avi Shlaim, Oxford academic
- Jacqueline Shoen
- Martin Short, journalist/broadcaster
- Andy Slaughter MP, politician
- Andy Smart
- Jill Smith
- Kayleigh Smith
- Keith Sonnet, Deputy Secretary General of UNISON
- Ahdaf Soueif, author
- Jenny Speller
- Janet Sproule
- Dr Bruce Stanley
- Dr Phyllis Starkey, former MP
- Rt. Hon Lord Steel of Aikwood, former Liberal Party leader
-
Dorothy Stein
- Andy Stelman
- Averil Swanton
- Tilda Swinton, actress
- Susannah Tarbush, journalist
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Jane Taylor
- Colin Thubron, author and President of the Royal Society of Literature
- Baroness Tonge, politician
- Stafania Trassari
- Antoinette Turkie, higher education professional
- Dr Rim Turkmani, academic
- Denni Turp
- John Turp
- Marcus Ulmefors
- Carole Underwood
- Yvette Vanson, producer/director
- Kees de Vries
- Benedetta Viti
- Margaret Voggenauer
- Timothy Wakefield
- John Waller
- Michael Walling, Director
- Dr Ammar Waraich
- Lord Watson of Invergowrie, politician
- Alan Weaver, blogger
- Frances Webber
- Irvine Welsh, author
- Bob Wennington
- Sam West, actor
- Claire Whitehead
- Professor Keith Whitelam, academic
- Angela Williams, retired United Nations official
- Ruth Williams
- Stephen Williams MP, politician
- Pete Williamson
- Susan Holmes Willock
- Hilary Wise, campaigner/linguist
- Ann Wright, human rights campaigner
- Joe Wright, film director
- Derek Wyatt, former MP
- Valerie Yorke, Middle East expert
- Edna Young
- Charles Zacharia
- Nadia Abu-Zahra, academic
- Angie Zelter