Report Firms profit from refugee crisis
borders”. The report said: “They are t he m i l i t a r y a nd security companies that provide the equipment to border guards, the surveillance technology to monitor frontiers and the IT infrastructure to track population movements.
“Most perverse of all, it shows that some of the beneficiaries of border security contracts are some of the biggest arms sellers to the Middle East and north Africa, fuelling conflicts that are the cause of many of the refugees. In other words, the companies creating the crisis are then profiting from it.”
Ai rbus are condemned alongside firms Finmeccanica and Thales, who both have premises in Scotland.
Airbus products for border security include helicopters, communication systems and radar. The airborne unit of the German federal police operate 79 Airbus helicopters.
In March 2015, Airbus joined the SPBE, an organisation set up in 2001 to link businesses and Scots politicians. The SPBE registered as a charity and claimed not to be a lobbying organisation but firms paid to sign up.
In March, it was announced that Holyrood had cancelled membership of the SPBE and they are now winding down.
Mark Akkerman, of Stop Wapenhandel , said: “Even though the lobbying by Airbus in Scotland is probably not focused on military or border security issues, the company’s business of fuelling conf licts and profiting from the refugee crisis should be reason enough to be very cautious about maintaining any relationship with them.”
Andrew Smith, of Campaign Against Arms Trade, said: “Airbus have sold mi l itary equipment to regimes with appalling human rights records.
“The Scottish Parliament should not be working with those who are arming human rights abusers and profiting from a humanitarian crisis.”
Arthur McIvor, chief executive of the SPBE, said: “The SPBE are a non-lobbying, non-partisan educational charity. Our role is to increase understanding between organisations and MSPs.”
Airbus said: “We work closely with many organisations to support the skills, innovation and manufacturing agenda.
“Membership of the SPBE is through Airbus Helicopters UK, an employer in the oil and gas sector in Aberdeen.”