I AM writing to you on behalf of peace charity Dove Tales and a number of prominent writers and organisations to protest Glasgow City Council’s forthcoming hosting of the Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) conference at the Scottish Event Centre on June 26-28.
We note with dismay that UDT is supported by Glasgow Life through its People Make Glasgow branding.
It has been reported that the UDT conference will, by bringing more than 1,000 delegates to Glasgow, produce a £1.2 million benefit to the city and help to “secure jobs across our hospitality, transport and retail sectors”.
But regardless of the financial benefits to the city, it is shameful for Glasgow to be facilitating the work of companies like BAE, whose Eurofighter jets are being used by Saudi Arabia to bomb the people of the Yemen; and Leonardo, whose arms have been used by the Turkish state against the Kurdish people of Afrin.
The UK Government’s decision to sell arms to Saudi Arabia is being challenged through the courts on humanitarian grounds, so why is the council welcoming to the city organisations which are so deeply embedded in the arms industry and which profit from such devastating assaults on civilian populations?
We also note that the conference partner, Babcock, has major contracts connected with the Trident nuclear weapons system – which the council’s own party, the Scottish National Party, has consistently opposed for many years.
While we recognise that hosting of the conference was agreed by a previous administration, we deplore that this council has not moved to sever its connection with the morally suspect firms attending the conference. We call on it to cancel the conference.
We also call on it to establish as a principle that Glasgow City Council will not, in future, host arms industry trade fairs or conferences and thereby seek financial benefit from the effects of war.
Jean Rafferty, Dove Tales; James Robertson; James Kelman; Zoe Wicomb (Professor Emeritus); Alan Bissett; Alasdair Gray; Louise Welsh (Professor); Dorothy-Grace Elder; Robin Lloyd-Jones, former president of Scottish PEN; Mandy Haggith; Anna Crowe; Elise Kelly; Allan Cameron, publisher at Vagabond Voices; Lee Gershuny, Elements World Theatre; David Kinloch (Professor); Jean Anderson, secretary of Scottish CND; Stephen Smellie, Scottish Solidarity with Kurdistan; Jay Sutherland, Scotland Against Militarism; Les Robertson, Scottish Socialist Party; Brian Quail, Trident Ploughshares; Sean Clerkin, Action for Scotland; Gerry Coutts, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign; Eric Chester, Scottish Peace Network; Michael Sutherland, Catholic Worker,
c/o 77 Southpark Avenue, Glasgow.
IT is beyond belief that Glasgow City Council (GCC) should welcome an arms fair, Undersea Defence Technology, to the SEC, a glossy showcase for organisations whose job in life is to flog the most advanced military technologies to some of the vilest regimes on the planet.
Our SNP Government deplores weapons of mass destruction and would rid us of Trident. In which direction does the moral compass of their colleagues in SNP majority GCC point?
Worse, this event is supported, I believe, by Glasgow Life, a registered charity, whose “vision statement” is “to inspire Glasgow’s citizens and visitors to lead richer and more active lives through culture and sport”. Where do “smart” bombs and laser-guided missiles fit into this scenario, exactly?
There will no doubt be the usual cant about employment and the event bringing millions of pounds into Glasgow’s economy: an SEC spokesperson said that other cities like Liverpool or Oslo have hosted the conference, as if that makes it alright.
What would be alright would be for our representatives to set an example to others and have the moral conviction to say no, we do not want you here, now or in future.
Crawford Logan,
Wester Craigend, Stirling.
LAST Wednesday (June 13) Channel 4 news reported the situation in Yemen with emphasis on the Saudi-led attack on rebel -held Hodeidah. Access to this port is vital for agencies providing desperately needed aid to millions facing starvation. The UK is providing financial support for this work. Meanwhile, wearing its other hat, it is selling arms to Saudi Arabia which are used to worsen the problem. The US and the UK also vetoed a UN Security Council motion to condemn the attack on Hodeidah. Andrew Mitchell, former International Development Secretary, when interviewed said Britain should be neutral in the conflict and not supplying Saudi Arabia with weapons (earning £4 billion over four years for our arms dealers) to exacerbate the situation.
How can Scots do anything positive to help? Very little I fear but we can try to prevent an arms fair marketing Undersea Defence Technology in Glasgow. Speak to city councillors, some of whom have promoted the arms fair, and MSPs, protest at Buchanan Street steps (June 23, 10am) and SEC (June 26,10am).
Have we become inured to the horrors mankind can inflict on the innocent? As long as our pension are doing well do we wonder how?
Sandra Phelps,
10 Kelvin Drive, Glasgow.
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