Iain Dale 7pm - 10pm
Maajid Nawaz demands UK boycott Beijing Winter Olympics
7 February 2021, 16:13
Maajid Nawaz calls for GB to boycott China's Winter Olympics
Team GB should boycott the Winter Olympics in Beijing so not to stand by while China commits human rights abuses.
"I am under no illusion that us boycotting the Beijing winter Olympics is suddenly going to stop the Uighur genocide," Maajid Nawaz began. He insisted that the issue is deeper than a simple boycott.
"Forget about China for a minute, what does it say about us if we continue to send money, tourists spectators and athletes to a nation engaged in certainly what is history's most technologically sophisticated genocide?"
Maajid stressed that Brits must ask themselves "what kind of nation post-Brexit do we want to be?" He argued that the UK should stand up for what is right.
He added that it is "important that we get to grips with what's going on here."
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"You can expect that clearly, I think it's the right decision that we should boycott the Winter Olympics – also for our own sakes, visa vis the Uighurs," Maajid said.
"I don't want to be wearing clothing tainted by slave labour and genocide."
He reiterated that a boycott does not mean that the crimes will stop overnight, but it shows that the UK can stand up for basic human principles on the world stage.
"It says more about us and how we behave," he said.