British exportation of riot shields, rubber bullets and tear gas to the US - a letter to my MP

Dear Sir Robert Symes,

I am writing to you today, as a member of your constituency, to express my hope that you will support or invoke a motion to suspend British exportation of riot shields, rubber bullets and tear gas to the USA.

I, like many thousands of your constituents, am horrified at the events that have dominated the headlines over recent days. The sickening murder of George Floyd by American policeman Derek Chauvin has sparked a re-emergence of protests against police brutality and institutionalised racism across America. The protests have been nationwide, from coast to coast, and despite many of them being entirely peaceful and thus legitimate, they have been brutally repressed by American forces (both the police, the National Guard and now the military).

Donald Trump and his government have reacted in a despicable manner to these protests. As mentioned above, many of them have been completely peaceful and yet they have been targeted with rubber bullets and tear gas. I am sure you are aware of many of the horrifying videos that have surfaced online in recent days, as police have driven through protesting crowds, fired rubber bullets indiscriminately, and have even targeted credited press personnel reporting on the protests. Only yesterday, a peaceful gathering outside the White House was

violently quashed in order to allow Mr Trump to stage a photoshoot outside a local church.

In my eyes, and in the eyes of many of your constituents (of varying political allegiances), the way the US government has reacted to the wave of protests can be described as “internal repression”.

The UK exports riot shields, rubber bullets and tear gas to the US at a value of several millions of pounds. However, the UK’s Consolidated Criteria states that the UK “will not grant a license if there is a clear risk that the items might be used for internal repression”. It is plausible that British manufactured riot shields, tear gas and rubber bullets are being used on American soil to repress these protests, an occurrence that Downing Street has stated as being “very concerning”. Consequently, I believe it is only right that the UK freezes its exports of these items to the US.

The UK should never indirectly support internal repression.

As an MP, and a representative of the people of Poole, I hope you will endeavour to support a motion to make this a reality.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Pawlowski