News / Military

BAE systems roundly condemned on social media for its 'war profiteering' attitude

Saturday, 22 February 2020 5:28 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 22 February 2020 5:34 PM ]

BAE Systems plays a central role in keeping the Saudi air force operational over the skies of Yemen

The UK’s largest weapons manufacturer, BAE systems, has been scorned on social media for boasting about its “greatest increase” in dividend profits in eight years.

The profits are highlighted under the company’s full year financial results for 2019.

The arms manufacturer tweeted a series of videos and boastful commentary on February 20, showcasing its bumper financial year.

In one such tweet, the company’s chief executive, Charles Woodburn, boastfully proclaimed that 2019 had been a “good year” for the arms manufacturer.

We’re pleased to announce our 2019 full year results this morning.

View our announcement ➡️ https://t.co/5AZrnjFa0q pic.twitter.com/aYC4G4UY88
— BAE Systems (@BAESystemsplc) February 20, 2020

Woodburn claimed that sales in the company’s “air sector” and “electronic systems” had been “outstanding”.

A flood of social media users subsequently berated BAE systems – the fourth largest defence company in the world – for boasting about profiting at the expense of war victims.

Last December, a group of human rights organizations filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court, accusing BAE systems of complicity in war crimes in the long-running conflict in Yemen.

BAE Systems is deeply involved in the Yemen War, where the company supplies the Saudi-led military coalition with weapons, maintenance and engineers.

Moreover, RAF personnel on secondment to the company have provided engineering support for UK-supplied aircraft operated by the Saudi air force in the Yemeni theatre of operations.

Amongst the critical tweets directed at BAE systems and Woodburn, the one by British historian and journalist, Mark Curtis, in which he condemns the company’s “war profiteering” stands out the most.

War profiteer BAE made sales of £20bn and profits of £1.9bn in 2019. One day it, along with other arms corporations, will be banned and consigned to the ash-heap of history. Until then we have to put up with men in suits pretending it's all perfectly acceptable. https://t.co/avGJB5DnD2
— Mark Curtis (@markcurtis30) February 20, 2020