Regime in Saudi as bad as IS, critics tell Cameron

DAVID Cameron yesterday condemned the ‘murderous barbarity’ of Islamic State – while facing criticism for visiting Saudi Arabia which allows death by stoning and beheading.

The Prime Minister and Prince Charles travelled to the desert kingdom to pay their respects to King Abdullah who died on Thursday aged 90.

While there Mr Cameron issued a renewed attack on the terrorists following the apparent beheading of a Japanese hostage, and said Britain stood ‘in solidarity with the Japanese people’.

His remarks came after video footage was released in which a masked militant, believed to be the Briton known as Jihadi John, made threats to kill two Japanese hostages unless a $200million (£133million) ransom was paid.

A second video showed Kenji Goto Jogo saying fellow captive Haruna Yukawa, 42, had been beheaded.

Mr Cameron said the brutal murder was ‘yet another reminder of the murderous barbarity of these terrorists’. He added: ‘Britain stands in solidarity with the Japanese people at this difficult time and we will continue to offer the Japanese government all possible assistance. Japan is right to refuse to bow to terrorism.’

In a separate message of condolence for King Abdullah, Mr Cameron said he would be remem-

‘They don’t go in my name’

bered for his ‘ commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths’.

Last week, the decision to fly flags at half-mast across Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace to mark Abdullah’s death attracted criticism over Saudi Arabia’s abuses of free speech, women’s rights and the country’s role as cradle of Islamist extremism.

Yesterday former Conservative MP Louise Mensch said the Saudi regime – which last week allowed police to behead a woman – was ‘no different’ to Islamic State.

She added: ‘I’m disgusted and revolted, as I think most people in the UK are, having watched our national flag be lowered in respect for a tyrant. When David Cameron and Prince Charles go to represent the UK they don’t go in my name.’

She added: ‘ You say IS are worse, they most certainly are not ... There is no difference between them.’

Senior Tory MP Sarah Wollaston told Radio 4’s Today programme the lowering of flags in Britain was ‘inappropriate given the human rights record in Saudi Arabia’.

In the ultra- conservative Islamic kingdom, Abdullah was seen as a reformer, chipping away at some of the severe restrictions on women. However there was a limit to how far he was willing – or able – to go. And the recent sentencing of the blogger Raif Badawi to 1,000 lashes threw a spotlight on the kingdom’s harsh laws.