Churches condemn drone attacks
Two of the UK's largest churches condemn targeted attacks by drones
Two of the UK’s largest churches have voted to condemn targeted attacks on individuals by unmanned aerial vehicles, known as drones. The news follows several drone attacks on alleged terrorists by US forces in Pakistan.
The resolutions were passed last week by the Methodist Conference, meeting in Plymouth, and the United Reformed Church General Assembly, meeting in Scarborough.
They also expressed concern about the number of people killed by drones in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It remains unclear how many of them are civilians and how many are combatants.
‘If there is a legitimate use for this technology, we need a much clearer idea of the boundaries for its use,’ said Steve Hucklesby, a policy advisor for the Methodist Church.
He told the Methodist Conference: ‘Terrorists function outside the law. It is vitally important that the UK and its allies do not do so as well. The targeted killings carried out by the CIA in northern Pakistan demonstrate only too clearly the ethical challenges that will face us as this technology proliferates more widely.’
Several Welsh Quakers recently participated in a service of repentance at Aberporth, where drones are tested by UK armed forces. While the UK’s drones are currently operated from the US, their base will be moved to Lincolnshire later this year (see ‘Playstation warfare’, 7 October 2011).
Comments
I hope Quakers will condemn Drones too. They are probably illegal in terms of the laws of war. Certainly the autonomous ones will be as if their computers go wrong and they are bound to sometimes, there will be nobody there to pull back from firing at anything by accident. We are not being told anything like enough about these new methods of war.
By SarahL on 12th July 2012 - 13:33
Please login to add a comment
