George Galloway: ‘Britain is backing terrorists’ (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

George Galloway: ‘Britain is backing terrorists’

9:39am Thursday 28th February 2013 in News

George Galloway clashed with a Foreign Office minister yesterday, after claiming Britain is arming Al-Qaeda in Syria.

The Respect MP for Bradford West used a Commons debate to warn the money was being used to “terrorise” Christians and others in the war-torn state.

The claim was fiercely denied by Alistair Burt, the Conservative minister for the Middle East, who said it was “logically ridiculous”.

However, Mr Galloway leapt on the minister’s admission that he “could not be absolutely certain” that no British funding for Syrian opposition groups was reaching Jihadists. The most explosive part of the debate came when Mr Galloway alleged Britain was backing extremists trying to overthrow President Assad, in Syria.

He said: “We are giving them money – which is the same thing as giving them weapons.

“If you give Al-Qaeda money, what do you think they are buying with the money? Are they buying Elastoplasts and other medical supplies?

But Mr Burt accused Mr Galloway of going “too far”, telling MPs: “It is not true that the United Kingdom is supplying Al-Qaeda, either with money or weapons.”