Saudi Arabia has exported religious fundamentalism and terrorism

had this from Peter Tatchell, well said...what is the worst example of a repressive state..~Saudi Arabia, where does the cash come for regressive hate filled forms of Islam, Saudi Arabia.

Who does the British government buy oil from and who do British companies sell weapons to, Saudi Arabia.

shocking...far far worse than Iran and of course Gordon Brown's best friend state, say no to the Royal visit.

Incidentally very pleased to see the statement from Vince Cable, who I am not normally a fan of

And acting Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said he was boycotting the visit, citing the corruption scandal over Al Yamamah arms deal, and the Saudis' human rights record.

"I think it's quite wrong that as a country we should give the leader of Saudi Arabia this honour," he said.
from the BBC here

John McDonnell, MP is a star, I am not going to be sectarian if people do good stuff they do good stuff, the we are all wonderful and they are shite approach to politics is one of the things that puts people off!

I hope MPs support his early day motion and the demo called for wednesday.



Saudi tyrant embraced by Gordon Brown King Abdullah hosted at Downing Street & Buckingham Palace Protests re State Visit, arms sales and human rights abuses London - 29 October 2007

"Gordon Brown rightly refuses to meet Zimbabwe's dictator, RobertMugabe, but he happily welcomes to Downing Street the Saudi tyrant,King Abdullah. It is double standards," said human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell. Mr Tatchell will be joining protests this week in London against the Saudi leader's State Visit to Britain (details below).

"The Saudi regime is guilty of detention without trial, torture and public beheadings. Political parties, trade unions and non-Muslim religions are banned. Women not allowed to vote or drive a car. Gay people are flogged and executed. The country is a theocratic police state.

"Despite these shocking human rights abuses, the Queen has invited King Abdullah to stay with her at Buckingham Palace. Our head of state should not be entertaining a serial human rights abuser. "King Abdullah should be arrested and put on trial for torture, not embraced and feted. "The Prime Minister has spoken out against the Burmese junta, but he is silent about the grotesque human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Britain is propping up the King's dictatorship by buying his oil and selling him weapons. Gordon Brown is colluding with Abdullah's oppression of the Saudi people. He's putting money-making before human rights.

"Saudi Arabia has exported religious fundamentalism and terrorism around the world. It should be designated a pariah state. Instead, weare giving an oil-rich, pro-western despot the red carpet treatment.It is especially disgraceful that a Labour government is backing this blood-stained regime," said Mr Tatchell.


More information: Peter Tatchell – 020 7403 1790



John McDonnell MP has tabled Early Day Motion 2102 opposing the Saudi State Visit.

EDM 2102 STATE VISIT OF KING ABDULLAH OF SAUDI ARABIA 11.10.2007 McDonnell, John

"That this House notes with concern the state visit of King Abdullahbin Abdul Azaz al Saud of Saudi Arabia to the United Kingdom on 30thOctober 2007; believes that Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressives ocieties on earth, with no political parties, free elections,independent media or trade unions; views with alarm the systematichuman rights abuses that exist within the Kingdom, such as the lack ofbasic rights for women, the practice of public beheadings and the repression of homosexuals; condemns the recent sale of 72 Eurofightersto such a barbaric regime; and calls upon the British Government tobase its foreign policy towards Saudi Arabia on democracy and human rights rather than on narrow economic interests." Two protests are planned this week against King Abdullah's State Visit: Protest 1:Tuesday 30 October, 11.15am to 1pm, outside the ICA, The Mall, SW1Y5AH, as King Abdullah passes down The Mall, en route to Buckingham Palace at 12.30pm.This demonstration will protest against British arms sales to SaudiArabia and demand a re-opening of the Serious Fraud Office inquiryinto the bribery of senior Saudi officials. This demonstration isorganised by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT). Map:http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=529770&y=180214&z=1&sv=529770,180214&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf More information about Tuesday's protest:Symon Hill – CAAT – 020 7281 0297http://www.caat.org.uk/events/diary.php Protest 2:Wednesday 31 October, 6pm to 8pm, Saudi Embassy, 30 Charles Street,W1J 5DZ. A protest against human rights abuses. Map:http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=W1J+5DZ&ie=UTF8&ll=51.508075,-0.145741&spn=0.008641,0.010235&z=16&om=1 Speakers include Labour MPs John McDonnell and Katy Clark; Saudi tradeunionist, Yahya al-Alfaifi; Marsha-Jane Thompson, Chair of theSocialist Youth Network; Sandy Mitchell, a former British prisoner in Saudi Arabia; London Assembly Member, Murad Qureshi; and human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell. "The protest has been called to oppose British support for this repressive tyranny, and to stop our foreign policy being dictated bythe oil and defence industries," said protest co-organiser, OwenJones. "Just recently, Britain sold 72 Eurofighters to the dictatorsin Riyadh," he added. More information about Wednesday's protest: Owen Jones – 07870331835Marsha-Jane Thompson – 07983592998Socialist Youth Network - http://www.socialistyouth.org.uk/news.php ENDS -- Peter Tatchell is the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford East http://www.greenoxford.com/peter and http://www.petertatchell.net