Britons Protest UK Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia for Yemen War

By Staff, Al-Jazeera

Opponents of the Saudi-led war in Yemen have been protesting against UK government arms sales.

They are highlighting the proposed sale of more Eurofighter Typhoon jets to the Saudis - which they say is illegal under international law.

The UK government has already sold 2 dozens of the British Typhoon jets to the Saudi government and plans are in the works to sell nearly 50 more; which are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Protesters displayed a model of the fighter jet and distributed petitions with 50 thousand names condemning what campaigners describe as illegal and ethical insult to international law.

“The British government is ignoring the international arms trade treaty; a treaty that it was a champion of not so long ago, in a drive to continue selling these arms,” Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK.  

She further said, “Five billion pounds worth of arms since the onset of the conflict. That is 7 times as much as being spent on aids in Yemen.”

The random nature of the Saudi–led attacks on Yemen and the heavy civilian casualties have prompted several European countries to suspend arms sale to Riyadh.

Every week more and more evidence arrives suggesting a blurring in the line between military and non-military targets.

Thousands of civilians have been martyred in the conflict in Yemen due air raids Saudi air raids.