MBS’ Foreign Visits Spark Outcry

MBS’ Foreign Visits Spark Outcry

MBS' Foreign Visits Spark Outcry
MBS' Foreign Visits Spark Outcry

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Europe tour has angered rights groups, as he seeks to further rehabilitate himself in light of his poor human rights record.

During MBS’s visit to France, dozens of people gathered outside Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Paris to protest against the gulf state’s war in Yemen and the killing in Turkey of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Demonstrators holding signs and placards chanted outside the residence in the French capital, with many calling on the French authorities to cancel MBS’ visit in light of his involvement in serious human rights violations at home and war crimes abroad.

The protesters condemned the French President Emmanuel Macron for “violating the French values and principles” after hosting MBS despite his well-documented human rights violations and abuses at home and abroad.

Human Rights Outrage Sparked

 Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince’s visit to Paris have outraged rights groups. The visit was the latest step in the diplomatic rehabilitation of the de-facto leader of the Saudi kingdom.

The 36-year-old became a pariah in the West following the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

The prince is being courted by Western leaders again as they urgently seek fresh sources of fossil fuels to replace lost Russian production.

US President Joe Biden travelled to Riyadh earlier this month, drawing similar criticism to that faced by Macron at home.

While Biden fist-bumped bin Salman in a gesture that was seized on by critics, Macron shook hands on the steps of the Elysee Palace as he welcomed the prince.

“He’s shaking the hand for a long time of a man whose hands are covered in blood,” senior left-wing MP Alexis Corbiere said.

The head of Amnesty International Agnes Callamard told AFP she felt “profoundly troubled by the visit”.

The killing of Khashoggi was described by a UN probe as an “extrajudicial killing for which Saudi Arabia is responsible”.

“I am scandalised and outraged that Emmanuel Macron is receiving with all the honours the executioner of my fiancé, Jamal Khashoggi,” his fiancée Hatice Cengiz said last week.

Anti-MBS Protests Swept the World

In 2018, angry protesters rallied in New York against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman‘s (MBS)’s visit, calling for an end to the Yemen war and a stop to the arms deals with the Kingdom.

Similar protests have erupted in London, with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman beginning his visit to the UK with a meeting with Theresa May, British prime minister.

Hundreds of demonstrators stood on Downing Street, holding signs with “Hands off Yemen” and “No more profits from bin Salman’s wars” outside May’s office.

Angry protests were also held in Tunis against MBS’ visit to the country.

In 2019, Pakistani protesters took into the streets against the Saudi Crown Prince’s visit to the country, calling for justice for Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi who was killed inside a Saudi consulate almost a year ago.

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