The United Kingdom has, for years, taking a flexible approach to the importance of human rights. On the one hand, the UK has taken an impressive stance on the Magnitsky sanctions against human rights abusers, on the other, we often act far too slowly or not at all when it comes to our allies or powerful countries.
We as a party have always stood tall in our defence of human rights. The treatment of the Uyghur Muslim community has been no exception, and the work of Alistair Carmichael, Maajid Nawaz and the Young Liberals should be applauded.
The work, however, cannot stop with hunger strikes, words and motions at a conference. This is even more pertinent when the Chinese Ambassador has the nerve to go on the Andrew Marr show and lie about the situation in Xinjiang.
This comes to the point of this article, which is about what we as a party can and should be doing about this crisis.
Firstly, we have over 50 councils up and down the UK where the Liberal Democrats are in power or a power-sharing agreement. Our councils should be volunteering to house Uyghur refugees. South Cambridgeshire had a similar programme with Syrian refugees.
Secondly, we should be supporting the application of the Magnitsky sanctions to Chinese business owners with links to the treatment of the Uyghur community. This would follow on from the initial announcement of sanctions against people in Russia, Saudi Arabia and North Korea.
Thirdly, the Chinese state is one that responds to strength. We must lobby the government to work with the EU, the US and other influential players on the international stage in order to have a coordinated response to the crisis. As a lone state, we cannot force a change in the way the Uyghur community is treated, but standing together, the international community has a fighting chance at showing we are serious.
As a young person-specific idea, many young members are at universities around the UK. Students Liberal Democrats will interact with numbers of academics and students at events such as freshers fairs. The Young Liberals should focus its freshers’ campaign on raising the awareness of the Uyghur Muslim crisis, following on from the excellent motion proposed and accepted at the recent Young Liberal Conference.
Lastly, we should be holding events to raise awareness of the plight of the Uyghur Muslim community. For example, on July 31st, Liberal Reform, where there is a panel of speakers including former MEP Luisa Porritt and Mark Johnson, who is a trustee of the World Uyghur Congress. There is scope for many other groups to hold similar events, or indeed local parties to host speakers on the issue.
* Callum Robertson is a teacher and former Chair of the Young Liberals
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13 Comments
As my recent article on the subject https://www.libdemvoice.org/a-liberal-lion-not-alone-in-support-of-maajid-nawaz-65372.html on this site reveals, some of us feel there are no more important subjects than these, real, awful violations of rights.
We as a party have an excellent record. However, it is too obsessed with few issues. As individuals many of us fight to get heard, whether in this party or beyond. It is a disadvantage to be unheard. A new approach, one of connection, would be welcome.
liberalism is looking and listening or it is little else, worthwhile at all.
This topic is topical but eternal. I wrote articles on it, and flag people to this human rights disaster, but people need to be engaged. That means it is when people with the profile on the radio do it, we need to engage there. Too few do unless on their pet cause. Too few accept the hand of friendship on an issue.
Apologies, part of this not got through…
… the hand of friendship here by Liberal Reform and this very good piece from Callum with suggestions, reveals such connections, and by individuals and groups. There is Liberalism. It reflects in a positive way on Liberal Reform. And I am glad of this session, and to be attending it. I advise others attend too…
If you are Liberal you are international. You cannot be one without the other.
Where , oh where are our British Moslems? Happy to shout elsewhere, but at the Chinese Embassy? No
We have to beware of Victim blaming & Whataboutery here, British Muslims do not have a stronger duty than the rest of us to protest about The Uighurs.
This campaign is part of a broader need to develop an International Strategy nto contain Chinese Imperialism which now operates Worldwide. See the story about Chinese Fishing Fleets damaging The Galapagos as an example.
@Richard Malim that’s incredibly racist.
The UN, EU & Human Rights Desk of Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) released a 6-minutes video titled “Five Pressing Human Rights Violation in Tibet, A Year in Review: 2019” https://tibet.net/five-pressing-human-rights-violation-in-tibet-a-year-in-review-2019/
The accompaning article concludes:
“China sees human rights as an existential threat to the very survival of its power. China depends on repression to further strengthen its power. Now is the time that government should band together and stand up to challenge against China’s repression and assaults on the international human rights system,”
This pattern of human rights abuse has been seen in Tibet and Southern Mongolia for decades since the end of WW2 and now, it seems, these same methods are being rolled out in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Callum Roberstson is correct to say ” the Chinese state is one that responds to strength. We must lobby the government to work with the EU, the US and other influential players on the international stage in order to have a coordinated response to the crisis.”
The coordinated response, however, has to be from what is called the “Five Eyes” – the intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. That may well include joint Navy patrols in the South China Sea to protect and preserve the freedom of the seas, with the diplomatic, financial and logistical support of countries embroiled in territorial disputes in this area of the world; including Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei.
A UK carrier presence in this part of the world may not sit easy with many Liberal Democrats. But, much as we might wish it were otherwise, somethings in International relations don’t change and as long as the UK remains a permanent member of the UN security council, it is a responsibility that cannot be shirked. As Theodore Roosevelt once opined – Speaking softly can only get you so far. You also need to carry a big stick – whether that be economic sanctions or a defence capability.
Too much faith in the CCP’s embrace of market led capitalism to moderate its grip on China made it fashionable to turn a blind eye to what it is. The attacks on its Uyghur population is yet another manifestation of its aggressive policies of enforced conformity and expansionism. The CPP is an appalling irredeemably corrupt organisation, with motives we really should be more suspicious of.
The Preamble to our Constitution says we will promote iniversal human rights universally.
We complain vociferously about abuse of the Uigher; withdraw co-operation from China and threaten sanctions, but for a country for which Britain once had responsibility, all we get is sporadic condemnation of the abuse of the Palestinian people at the hands of “settlers” backed by the Israeli Government and its military.. No withdrawal of co-operation and no threat of sanctions. What value are the occasional words of condemnation?
The dispossession of Palestinians and abuse of their human rights never was sactioned by the San Remo Declaration of 1922, not the earlier Balfour Declaration of 1917, though many settler-colonial Zionists may insist that it was.
It is Ironic that around the same time that Israel was founded, Resolution 217A of the United Nations in December 1948 created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the aim of preventing the kind of abuse suffered by Jews and others prior to and during WWII. The world has been woefully negligent in not insisting that Israel obesrve those basic human rights when it comes to the Palestinians
Good article Callum. I think the attitude of the Chinese state is coming to a head. There is also the case of Tibet. The appalling abuse of animals in China and they’re worldwide exploitation of all wildlife donkeys, rhino, elephant in Africa alone. Two hundred Chinese mega trawlers spotted by the Ecuador Navy in the Galapagos islands.
Forgetting 5G for the moment the greed of western manufacturers moving so much manufacturing to China has destroyed thousands of jobs. I despair for the people of Hong Kong in the future. We and all the UK parties must have a much more robust attitude to the regime. Even Karl Marx would not recognise any of the communist regimes as based on his writings. Waiting to hear what Ed and Layla have to say.
A quick look at Google Maps suggests that many of these people might want to move west away from China. Could we make it easier for them? China’s treatment while preventing their emigration doesn’t make sense.
Hi all,
Thank you for your comments. Though I would politely ask that people do not try to shoehorn in the Israel-Palestine conflict in relation to an issue with Chinese domestic policy. It is an exceptionally complicated conflict and the nuance required really cannot be obtained from the comments section of an entirely unrelated article.
James Belchamber, thank you for calling the other comment out.
Good article.
@ James Belchamber: A year ago, in the UN so-called Human Rights Council, all the Muslim members voted to approve China’s Uyghurs policy. (Not one is democratic, and many receive aid from China).
BTW most overseas Chinese are hugely proud of the way the regime has rapidly brought most of the country out of poverty. Criticism is often regarded as “anti-Chinese”. We must try to distinguish the regime from its people.
When Dominic Raab announced, with unanimous approval, the Magnitsky sanctions he sounded sympathetic to them being extended to include Chinese officials. Our MPs should keep the pressure for this to happen.