OUR APPEAL TO FANS AS SAUDI HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES VISIT NEWCASTLE

A high level delegation of Saudi human rights advocates will meet Newcastle City Council leader Karen Kilgour at Newcastle Civic Centre on Tuesday February 18th. 

The delegation includes Saudi citizens whose family members have been jailed by the Saudi regime.

Foz al-Otaibi is a Saudi women's rights activist and social influencer, one of BBC's 100 most influencial women for her fight to free her sister Manahel serving 11 years in a Saudi prison where she has been tortured and abused and has been incommunicado for over a month.

Lina al-Hathloul is Head of Advocacy and Monitoring at ALQST For Human rights. She is a renowned Saudi activist and has visited Newcastle previously to appeal to politicians and fans to speak up for human rights in her country. Her sister Loujain was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for her women's rights work.

Yahya Assiri is a Saudi activist and founder of ALQST. Yahya Assiri also founded NAAS, the first Saudi political party in exile.

Over three years on from the takeover of Newcastle United Football Club by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), questions about the risks and implications of this ownership have only grown, including around the effects of sportswashing, the integrity of the “beautiful game”, and the economy and politics of Newcastle itself.

Saudi Arabia’s authoritarian ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is using his country’s PIF to rapidly drive global spending and build influence as never before through the soft power of sports and entertainment. Meanwhile the human rights situation on the ground remains dire, including with a record number of executions and the relentless suppression of free speech.

NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing (NUFCFAS) have worked with ALQST to get Newcastle City Council to meet Saudi human rights advocates face to face. The Saudi delegation’s visit presents an opportunity to show that Newcastle really does care about human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. Generic and often vague commitments to human rights by politicians are not enough. Actions speak louder than words. As Newcastle fans who are concerned about human rights we hope Newcastle City Council and the Saudi delegation can agree a series of measures which will show clearly that Newcastle has not been sportswashed.

So why should our fellow fans care about this visit? Unfortunately we have to admit a small minority of our fanbase have indeed been sportswashed. At NUFCFAS protests in support of the victims of the regime which owns the club we have been harassed. On social media some fans echo Saudi regime propaganda and accuse the victims we are supporting of being ‘terrorists’. However, we know most Newcastle fans support human rights but something is missing. Like local politicians, official fan groups have not kept to pre-takeover promises to ‘keep talking about human rights.’ We have asked numerous times for shows of support on match days for Saudi women like Salma al-Shehab and Manahel al-Otaibi. Women jailed for decades simply for Tweeting in support of their rights. Saudi LGBT+ activist Wajeeh Lion made a direct appeal to Newcastle fans for solidarity but was unfortunately mostly ignored.

This is an opportunity for the vast majority of Newcastle fans who care about human rights to hear from Saudis whose families are suffering gross human rights abuses at the hands of the ultimate owners of our club.

No-one is blaming the fans or those who work for the club for what is happening in Saudi Arabia, but it’s a fact that the club’s Chairman Yasir al-Rumayyan is a minister in the Saudi government and the PIF has been directly implicated in human rights abuses. The delegation wants to pass on in person to Newcastle fans what they can do to support human rights in Saudi Arabia.

As in our last Carabao Cup final when the younger brother and 'consigliere' of Saudi Arabia's chief dictator Mohammed bin Salman attended wearing a Newcastle scarf, Saudi regime figures close to Mohammed bin Salman will turn up at the final against Liverpool to be seen basking in the team’s glory. That’s how sportswashing works. Therefore a gesture by Newcastle fans in support of imprisoned Saudi women and the minors on death row in Saudi Arabia at the final on March 16th would show the world that we haven’t been sportswashed and that yes, we support the team but we DO NOT support the human rights abusing regime.

This Saudi human rights delegation to Newcastle and meeting with the Council leader and council members is a long overdue opportunity to clarify the issues surrounding the fact that Newcastle United Football Club is owned by a despotic regime which tries to use our historic club to sportswash its image. Notwithstanding that fact, the voices of the victims of the regime still have a right to be heard on Tyneside. The delegation wants to discuss how human rights can, and must, still be championed and that Newcastle fans can make a real difference by showing solidarity with the many victims of the regime which owns our club.

SOLIDARITY PHOTO WITH SAUDI HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

When: 13:45 Tuesday 18th February 2025
Where: Outside Civic Centre after delegation meeting with Karen Kilgour

We call on councillors, MPs, trade unionists and Newcastle United fans to stand with the Saudi Human Rights advocates in support of the many victims of the Saudi regime.


PUBLIC BRIEFING

The University and College Union will be hosting a public briefing by the delegation after the meeting with Karen Kilgour:

When: 16:00 Tuesday 18th February 2025

Where: Northumbria University

Ellison Building Block B, room 003

ALQST for Human Rights and NUFCFAS are making a special appeal to Newcastle fans and trade unionists to attend.

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