People are taking to social media to deliver a clear message to Theresa May as she meets with her cabinet to discuss going to war with Syria. And she really needs to listen to it.
The #NotInMyNameTheresaMay hashtag started trending on 12 April as people took to Twitter to urge the prime minister away from conflict.
Yemen
People pointed out May’s hypocrisy in supporting military action in Syria while the UK is selling weapons to Saudi Arabia:
@theresa_may #NotInMyNameTheresaMay I’ve researched the global arms trade 4 17 yrs. Bombing Syria isn’t about saving lives – we provide the weapons 4 the Saudi slaughter of 1000s of innocents in Yemen – it is about the political & economic benefits to u & yours @ShadowWorldFilm
— Andrew Feinstein (@andrewfeinstein) April 12, 2018
UK politicians and journalists are quick to raise claims to bomb Syria but what about the thousands that Saudis Arabia have murdered in their illegal war against Yemen? The UK have been supplying bombs, aircrafts and training! #disgusted #NotInMyNameTheresaMay
— #JusticeForGrenfell (@drogaseternal) April 12, 2018
According to the United Nations, at least 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Yemen and 3 million people have been displaced. UNICEF reports that more than 5,000 children have been killed or injured in Yemen since the conflict began in March 2015. Cholera and acute diarrhoea have affected over a million people and over 8 million people are at risk of starvation.
Since the start of Yemen’s civil war, UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia have increased by 457%.
The magic money tree
Some people asked where the money was coming from, given that we can’t fund essential services:
https://twitter.com/ArgyleLoz/status/984363806506803200
Money to fix our roads? No way; money for the NHS? Certainly not; money to stop youngsters killing each other on our streets? Nope; money for the homeless? You must be kidding; money for bombing Syria despite no concrete evidence? Why, of course #NotInMyNameTheresaMay
— JMCJ (@JMCJeffers) April 12, 2018
And others pointed out exactly what one airstrike could pay for:
Definitely #NotInMyNameTheresaMay pic.twitter.com/Ii2Sxm2tqp
— Rachael Swindon #WeAreCollective (@Rachael_Swindon) April 12, 2018
Learning from history
Many more pointed out that Western interventions in the Middle East haven’t exactly gone well:
https://twitter.com/a_leesha1/status/984382501203439618
The Iraq war did not resolve anything. It caused the deaths of 650, 000 innocent men, women and children. It ruined lives, destroyed communities and made some Iraqis rather angry with the UK / US.
The road to peace in Syria is not by killing more people. #NotInMyNameTheresaMay— perry (@wordsfromperry) April 12, 2018
And others shared Jeremy Corbyn’s words about the invasion of Iraq:
https://twitter.com/Jezza4_PM/status/984387240385269760
The manufactured case for invading Iraq, of course, led to disaster. It reportedly killed at least a million Iraqis and left thousands of children with deformities and cancer. And the context gave the forerunners of Daesh (Isis/Isil) fertile ground to grow. Global terrorism has skyrocketed ever since (with Daesh and similar Wahhabi groups responsible for the majority of non-state terrorism). The invasion also cost UK taxpayers billions of pounds.
“No mandate”
But it was Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood who really nailed the current position, while quoting party colleague Liz Saville Roberts:
No mandate from public or Parliament, no UN resolution, no genuine investigation of facts, no serious plan for what comes next for people in Syria; the UK govt has no authority to follow Trump into a possible confrontation with Russia #NotInMyNameTheresaMay pic.twitter.com/Q1Popu8KQa
— Leanne Wood 💚💛 (@LeanneWood) April 12, 2018
May appears intent on rushing the UK into a dangerous conflict and seems happy to bypass parliament in the process. Bombing Syria will not make anyone safer. It will not save lives. And given May’s support for arming Saudi Arabia and fuelling the conflict in Yemen, her position is pure hypocrisy.
That’s why people are speaking out. #NotInMyNameTheresaMay
Get Involved!
– Join the protest on 13 April outside Downing Street.
– Support Campaign Against the Arms Trade and take action against the arms dealers who will profit from war.
– Email your MP and voice your opposition.
Featured image via Flickr/Raul Mee
