Raif Badawi, Saudi Arabia, and the Hypocrisy of the Harper Regime

A few days ago I wrote a post pointing out that our ghastly regime had failed to say a word about Saudi Arabia's savage flogging of the blogger Raif Badawi.

After signing a deal with that reactionary kingdom to sell it $10 billion worth of armoured cars.

Well now Harper's faithful stooge John Baird has finally said something.

Canada is deeply concerned by flogging of @raif_badawi - it is a violation of human dignity and freedom of expression http://t.co/jrjTc3qYMc
— John Baird (@Baird) January 15, 2015

But only after it was revealed that he is planning a high-level meeting with one of its most powerful princes Turki al-Faisal.



Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird is planning two meetings with a high-ranking Saudi prince in the coming weeks, according to internal government scheduling documents that suggest a further effort at fostering a relationship with a country that’s become a major export market for Canadian military goods in recent years.

On Wednesday, Mr. Baird’s office asked for time to respond to questions about these meetings with the prince and then proceeded to issue a statement by the minister decrying the flogging of Mr. Badawi. It was his first statement on the matter.

Which reeks of hypocrisy, considering the way Stephen Harper condemns Islamic terrorists, while helping to arm them.

When in the spotlight, Stephen Harper condemns the “international jihadist movement” and says Canada will do what it can to eliminate the threat embodied by this movement. Yet out of the spotlight, he's selling of large amounts of weaponry to the very part of the world where he says this threat is coming from.

And the big plans he has for Saudi Arabia.

Ken Epps, with Project Ploughshares, said Saudi Arabia is now the biggest export market for Canadian military goods after the U.S., and that as shipments of light armoured vehicles ramp up, he said, the Arab country may rival or surpass the U.S.

Even though that reactionary, misogynistic and homophobic kingdom is the biggest single funder of terrorist groups in the Middle East.

And its state supported Wahhabi sect is responsible for poisoning the minds of the young. And creating wannabe jihadis all over the world including Canada.

The very threat he claims to be protecting us from...



So one cannot imagine his Cons complaining too loudly to the Saudis about their brutish punishment of Raif Badawi.

Even though his family lives in Canada...



And Badawi is due to be flogged again tomorrow, as he was last Friday.



And will be every week for the next five months.

And really what more can I say? Except please do what you can to try to stop that savage punishment, by writing to your MPs or signing petitions like this one.

Stand up for freedom of expression, and the rights of bloggers everywhere.



And above all work to defeat this monstrous hypocritical leader

Before he shames us further...



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