Black Lives Matter protest, Seattle WA, 30 May 2020 |
Dear friend
One year ago today, Minneapolis police officers murdered George Floyd, a Black man, in the street sparking global protests.
A subsequent investigation by Sky News revealed UK-made shields were used by US police forces against Black Lives Matter (BLM) supporters who were protesting the muder. This despite the UK Government claiming it had “no evidence” of this.
Last June, 166 MPs signed a letter calling on the UK to halt the sale of ‘anti-riot’ equipment to police forces in the US following widespread scenes of violence against protesters.
Global repression
According to the consolidated criteria for arms exports “The government will not grant a licence if there is a clear risk that the items might be used for internal repression.” However, this has done nothing to stop the sale of UK-made arms to repressive police forces around the world.
The UK government actively promotes the sale of crowd control equipment – and with it, the militarisation of policing via UK Defence and Security Exports, the UK government’s arms export promotion unit, and via multi-million pound arms fairs like the Defence and Security Equipment International DSEI.
In fact, just three months ago, representatives from US attended the Security and Policing Arms Fair, a secretive event at which arms, border, policing and surveillance companies gather to exhibit equipment and technologies. The fair is backed by the UK’s Home Office and does not even allow journalists to attend.
We know this equipment will be used for repression, because it already has been.
Take action
Watch London CAAT’s latest video, released today, which makes the link between British arms companies and the export of weaponry to police forces in the U.S. and around the world.
Read Siana Bangura’s article posted today on the CAAT blog, “A Year After George Floyd Was Murdered, UK-Fueled Domestic Militarisation continues the world over”
Write to your MP expressing your concern and asking them to support the cancellation of arms export licenses to U.S. police forces.
Support groups in the UK campaigning for justice, including the United Friends and Family campaign, and keep updated with Black Lives Matter UK
Together, let’s put a stop to repressive militarised policing, and the UK arms exports that enable it.
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Kirsten Bayes
Campaign Against Arms Trade
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