In the light of recent events, the Scottish parliament took a stance against institutionalized racism and showed support to the BLM moveme...
In the light of recent events, the Scottish parliament took a stance against institutionalized racism and showed support to the BLM movement. The parliament has voted to end the export of rubber bullets, tear gas, and riot gear to the United States, in order to help maintain the citizens’ right for peaceful protests, which have been met with the police force in many cities throughout the USA.
Image credits: Getty Images
Last Thursday the motion was put into place with the overwhelming support of 52 to 0 voting in favor and 11 abstentions. The motion says, that parliament “stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and considers that the UK government must immediately suspend all export licences for tear gas, rubber bullets and riot gear to the US”.
Image credits: Geoff Livingston
The parliament also took the opportunity to address the country’s historic links to the slave trade. The same amendment also called for the creation of a slavery museum in Scotland.
Image credits: quinn norton
Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Green Party, who proposed the successful amendment, called the police brutality happening in the US “appalling” and said that the Black Lives Matter movement is an inspiration for the whole world.
“In the weeks since George Floyd’s brutal murder the world has been watching the appalling systematically racist police brutality and the systematically racist political establishment in the US that underpins that inequality. The Black Lives Matter movement has been inspiring and it needs to be heard right around the world: that racism exists in this country as well,” he said.
Image credits: quinn norton
“I’m delighted that today the Scottish Parliament agreed a Green amendment in an anti-racism debate calling for an establishment of a Museum of Slavery to really shine a light on this country’s grim past connections with slavery and how the inequality of that history perpetuates even now.”
Image credits: ep_jhu
“But our amendment also called for an immediate halt of UK exports of tear gas, rubber bullets, and riots gear to the US. Those weapons of oppression are being used by a racist state and it is unacceptable for us to be exporting them, putting those weapons into the hands of people who will brutalise marginalised communities. It’s important that we stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement.”
Image credits: Geoff Livingston
According to the Insider, since 2010 UK has roughly $7.53 billion worth of munitions to the United States, including over $1 billion in firearms, $22 million in less-lethal rounds like tear gas and rubber bullets, and more than $2.5 million in riot shields.
However, the UK’s licensing criteria states that materiel can’t be sold if there is a “clear risk that items might be used for internal repression.”
Image credits: Geoff Livingston
No comments