LONDON (Tuesday March 23, 2021).— Despite the narrow defeat yesterday in Parliament of an amendment aiming to stop trade deals with countries which have committed genocide, a new poll shows overwhelming public support (74%) for it. According to the poll released today by ICM Unlimited, commissioned by the global civic movement Avaaz, a majority of Britons (55%) also opposes the UK trading with China, if it determines that China is committing a genocide against the Uyghurs, an ethnic minority. The call from British citizens comes following Monday’s crucial vote in the Parliament on the Genocide Amendment to the Trade Bill.


Meetali Jain, Legal Director at Avaaz, said: “An overwhelming majority of Britons oppose their government entering into trade deals with genocidal governments. As the voices of people and governments around the world standing with Uyghurs get louder, British people also stand in solidarity and demand their government to take decisive action. Parliament should listen to their constituents and make a thorough assessment of genocide against the Uygur people before entering into a trade deal with China.”

In the last few weeks, the Canadian and Dutch Parliaments have adopted resolutions recognizing that the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghurs is genocide. Today, the EU, UK, Canada and US agreed to impose sanctions against Chinese officials and entities because, in part, of its human rights abuses against Uyghurs.

Fifty independent UN expert s have expressed grave concerns about the Chinese government’s repression of the Uyghurs. According to many human rights researchers and organizations, over one million Uyghurs have been sent to forced labor and detention camps by Chinese authorities, women have been raped and tortured, and hundreds of thousands of children taken from their families and sent to boarding schools.


Notes to editors:

For more information :  media@avaaz.org

About the poll : ICM Unlimited interviewed a representative online sample of 2,010 adults aged 18+, between 17 and 19 March 2021. Interviews were conducted across Great Britain and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.