THERE has been much blatant racism in the media recently directed against refugees coming to the UK. Instead of attacking the most weak and vulnerable it would be better to ask why there are now so many refugees in the world seeking to flee their homes.

Those who attack refugees never mention the role played by Government-backed British arms companies in fuelling conflict around the world. Conflict creates refugees.

Recent Home Office figures show that in the first quarter of this year the highest number of asylum applications came from conflict-torn areas such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

British arms companies have a time-honoured tradition of making profit by selling arms to both sides in major conflicts. In the 198Os they sold weapons to Iran and lraq to sustain a war that cost more than one million lives, today they sell to India and Pakistan ?n a conflict that could go nuclear.

Given the link between the arms industry and suffering, why should the tax payer have to provide some £760m of subsidy to sustain it that is £30 per tax payer?

Would it not be better to remove the subsidy and establish a programme to convert from military to civilian production?

Unfair terms of trade and debt repayments also impoverish countries and so help create refugees.

THERESA O'SULLIVAN on behalf of Our Lady of Lourdes Justice and Peace Group, Dover Road, Wanstead.

July 10, 2002 16:00