Rally outside Buckingham Palace at 5.30pm as despots arrive
London – 18 May 2012
5.30 pm to 7pm
Friday 18 May 2012
Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA
Protesters will gather outside Buckingham Palace from 5.30pm to 7pm tonight as royal tyrants arrive for the Diamond Jubilee dinner. They will rally in front of the central main gates of Buckingham Palace. If they are threatened with arrest by the police, they will reassemble on the left side of Buckingham Palace by the corner of Birdcage Walk and Buckingham Gate SW1E 6LA. Map: http://goo.gl/LrFeB
“Queen Elizabeth II is hosting seven royal tyrants today: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Brunei, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland,” said Peter Tatchell, who is Director of the human rights campaign organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation, and organiser of the protest.
“Inviting these blood-soaked dictators brings shame to the monarchy and tarnishes the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. It is a cruel betrayal of pro-democracy campaigners and political prisoners who are suffering under these totalitarian royal regimes.
“The invitations should be withdrawn immediately, as a mark of respect for those who have been arrested, jailed, tortured and murdered.
“All seven royal families preside over a variety of human rights abuses, such as detention without trial, torture, the denial of free speech, restrictions on press freedom, discrimination against women, oppression of minority faiths, homophobic persecution, ill-treatment of guest workers and the violent suppression of peaceful protests.
“The invitations are a shocking misjudgement. They show the Queen is out of touch with the humanitarian values of most British people. She’s putting royalty before human rights.
“The guest list displays gross insensitivity to the suffering of people who have been persecuted by royal despots. It is an insult to the victims of dictatorship for our royal family to welcome and embrace these regal oppressors.
“Our monarch should not be colluding with human rights abusers. She should be on the side of the victims,” he said.
The Bahraini and Qatari royals are attending lunch at Windsor Castle but not dinner at Buckingham Palace. The five royal tyrants who are attending the dinner are: Abu Dhabi, Brunei, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland.
Although the Bahraini royals are not attending the dinner, a Saudi royal will attend.
“Saudi Arabia’s royal family sent troops to Bahrain to help the King violently suppress pro-democracy protests,” added Mr Tatchell.
“According to a November 2011 report by the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, up until that point 45 pro-democracy campaigners had been killed by the regime, 1,500 arrested and nearly 1,900 had suffered torture and ill-treatment. The arrested and abused include doctors and nurses who treated injured protesters. Read the report in full here:
http://bit.ly/w852m5
“Friday’s protest is supported by Justice for Bahrain, the Peter Tatchell Foundation and Republic, the campaign for an elected head of state.
“It is appalling that the Queen has invited royal tyrants to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee. She should not host the tyrant royals from Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Brunei, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland. All of them preside over regimes that abuse human rights.
“Buckingham Palace’s refusal to confirm the guest list until today was arrogant and anti-democratic. As the Head of State of a democratic nation, the Queen should be transparent and accountable to the public. Secrecy and evasion is the enemy of democracy. The vast majority of the British people would not want the Queen to fete these royal human rights abusers,” added Mr Tatchell.
Examples of human rights abuses in countries headed by the seven royal autocrats who are being hosted by Queen Elizabeth II this evening:
Bahrain
Amnesty International report:
http://tiny.cc/0lhbp
Human Rights Watch report:
http://tiny.cc/cgtfm
Saudi Arabia
http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2011/saudi-arabia
Swaziland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13046740
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/1144068/-/12k5fq3/-/
Kuwait
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/01/31/kuwait-free-speech-and-assembly-under-attack
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/nea/154471.htm
Abu Dahbi / United Arab Emirates
http://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2011/united-arab-emirates
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/07/02/uae-ruling-undermines-press-freedom