Formula One in Bahrain a slap in the face to human rights: Analyst – Interview Dr. Colin Cavell

The Formula One governing body has decided to press ahead with the Grand Prix in Bahrain, a country in a year-long uprising against brutal dictatorship. 20 April, 2012 – PressTV

INTERVIEW VIDEO HERE

Press TV has interviewed Colin Cavell, former lecturer at University of Bahrain, Austin, Texas about what is happening behind the scenes to enable the Formula One to go ahead in Bahrain. What follows is an approximate transcript of the interview.

Press TV: In Bahrain I’m sure you’re well aware Formula One is having its race there. Should the sponsors and the supporters of the Grand Prix be the ones to blame or Western governments associated to them like the UK, be the ones to blame in this case?

Cavell: There is blame to go around to a number of folks. Definitely, Bernie Ecclestone, head of the F1 is getting paid off royally. I just hope that he received his money in advance because the people are going to speak with one voice this weekend and they’re going to make sure that Formula One does not go as planned.

Western governments of course are responsible for supporting the al-Khalifas and indeed there’s tremendous guilt on the part of the US State Department employees and on the part of the US president and in fact on the part of all Americans. We are appalled to be supporting a tyrannical monarchy like the al-Khalifas.

If we weren’t addicted to oil in the Middle East we would not be in this position, but we are in a very bad position and the US acts with guilt in carrying out its support for the al-Khalifas.

Press TV: We just heard words from UK Prime Minister David Cameron talking about a reform process underway in Bahrain. What reform is he talking about?

Cavell: David Cameron is talking about pulling the wool over peoples’ eyes. There is absolutely no reform in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is an attempt at obfuscation. In other words, a show of lights to make people think there is something going on to change the situation, but there is absolutely no change going on.

The regime is still torturing people, still jailing people, still killing people; they have no political legitimacy; they have no moral legitimacy. Indeed, the regime is dying in decay; all it needs is a wind to blow it away. And the people of Bahrain are that wind.

Press TV: I know that in the US if you have a celebrity who is caught for just something minor, in the case where there is a sponsor behind them, that celebrity is disqualified from representing that company.

Yet here we have all these major corporations from around the world going through with this on an island that’s being cited for human rights violations for the past year not to mention all the different types of violations of human rights taking place.

Cavell: It’s blood money. The regime did not hold the Formula One last year and they are spending tons of money this year to try to tell the world that things have returned to normal. And of course they have not returned to normal. As Mr. Sadiq (another guest to the program) pointed out, sport is part of the political family.

That is to say, you are my brother, Mr. Sadiq is my brother. If I am invited over for a meal and I see dead bodies around the house I don’t say I’m just here to eat… No, I have to make a judgment and get involved and say what’s going on here?

And this is the responsibility of the drivers; this is the responsibility of the corporations; this is the responsibility of Bernie Ecclestone… They all have to take responsibility for what they are doing here – supporting a murderous tyrannical regime.

Press TV: Behind the scenes we hear about this 50 million dollar arms sales of military equipment that includes teargas, which was going to be sold, then they refrained from doing it because of some law that was brought up – I can’t recall – but then they are trying to push this through to get an approval to sell it in increments. So the US wants military equipment to be sold.

What is the stance of the US regarding Bahrain? Our guest in Detroit said to clarify their stance, but I think their arms sale kind of speaks louder than obviously words.

Cavell: Absolutely. They could not get through Congress a 50 million dollar arms sale so what they did was they decided to sell it in increments of less than a million dollars, which does not need Congressional approval.

So, it indicates that the US still wants to support this murderous tyrannical regime and it’s appalling. Most Americans would be appalled at what we’re doing if they knew what was going on, which is why the Western press is not covering our support for these dictatorships, for these monarchical tyrants.