Newcastle council leader urged to meet Saudi Arabia human rights activists over 'sportwashing' concerns

Saudi human rights organisation ALQST has requested a sit-down with the city’s new Labour chief Karen Kilgour, who took office last week.

Campaigners have accused the Gulf state of ‘sportswashing’ following the Public Investment Fund-led takeover of Newcastle United FC three years ago, while the city’s political leaders have also come under pressure to speak up about human rights abuses as details have emerged over efforts to strengthen ties from Tyneside to the Middle East.

A Newcastle delegation pitched the city as the “gateway to Saudi” during a major UK trade mission to Riyadh earlier this year, while emails obtained by the NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing (NUFCFAS) group also revealed efforts by senior civic centre directors to secure investment from and stronger links to Saudi Arabia.

In an email to Coun Kilgour, ALQST head of monitoring and advocacy Lina al-Hathloul, who visited Newcastle last year, said she and other activists wanted to speak to the council leader about how to “ensure that human rights remain at the forefront of the conversation”.

Ms al-Hathloul’s sister, Loujain, was a key figure in the campaign to lift a ban on women driving in Saudi Arabia and was jailed under counter-terrorism laws, before being released from prison in 2021 under a travel ban preventing her from leaving the kingdom.

Saudi border guards have been accused of killing hundreds of Ethiopian migrants at the border with Yemen, while NUFCFAS has also called for a street in Newcastle to be renamed in memory of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Ms al-Hathloul wrote: “Over the years, we have been active on several fronts, including examining Saudi investments in various sectors, such as sports, and the associated human rights implications. This is an area that has become especially relevant given the increasing influence Saudi Arabia is gaining in cities like Newcastle.

“Last year, we had the opportunity to visit Newcastle, a trip which proved very fruitful in building connections and furthering our mission. With Saudi Arabia’s growing presence in sports and therefore the cities directly involved, we believe now is an opportune time to discuss some of our priority issues with you.

“We would be honoured to arrange a meeting with you and bring a delegation of young Saudi human rights defenders to discuss these matters further. We are eager to share our insights and hear your thoughts on how we can work together to ensure that human rights remain at the forefront of the conversation.”

In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service this week, Coun Kilgour indicated that she could be open to such a meeting – though did not explicitly commit to it.

She replied: “I said in council the other night that my door will always be open to people where that is appropriate.

“I think, for something like, this it is down to the government to make those representations to the Saudi government. This is above the level of a local authority.

“As a city of sanctuary, and we are very proud of our city of sanctuary status, we would welcome and support the government in having those conversations.”

Coun Kilgour added: “We need to be really careful that we don’t conflate the people involved in the day-to-day running of the club with the people who are responsible for human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. I don’t think it is fair for us as a council to hold those people responsible and I don’t think it is fair to put that burden on fans of Newcastle United either to take on, effectively, a foreign government and not necessarily the people running their local club that they are incredibly passionate about.”

At the time of the NUFC takeover in 2021, then council leader Nick Forbes asked the new owners “to open a dialogue with fans” about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record to “make sure that the club’s values and what the club is seeking to achieve align with the city’s values”.

His successor Nick Kemp, who resigned last month, denied this summer that the council had sought to sweep human rights concerns “under the carpet and said he would “never condone or seek to defend instances where human rights have been violated”.