2018-01-23
Greens Defence spokesperson, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, welcomes the leadership of Angela Merkel in announcing a ban on all arms sales from Germany to any combatant in the Saudi Arabia – Yemen conflict and calls upon Australia to follow suit.
Senator Whish-Wilson said, “The Saudi blockade and bombing of Yemen is an artificially manufactured humanitarian disaster of unimaginable scale and Australia shouldn’t be profiting from selling military equipment of any kind that contributes to such abject human misery.
“Germany has shown leadership by halting military sales to Saudi Arabia and other combatants to put pressure on them to stop the violence and Australia should follow suit.
“The sight of an Australian Cabinet Minister grovelling to a Saudi Prince or Minister, begging them to buy our military hardware, while they are causing tens of thousands to starve to death makes me feel sick to my stomach.
“I wouldn’t have wanted Australia to sell police batons to Robert Mugabe and I don’t want Australia to sell military equipment to Saudi Arabia to starve innocent civilians in Yemen.
“Australia once would not have taken such a weak position on the human rights abuses in Yemen and have put a few dollars in arms sales ahead of basic human decency,” he concluded.
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