(New Arab) The United Arab Emirates helped to “cement Islamophobia” in the UK in order to boost its standing in the west, through a range of campaigning techniques, which are similar to those used by pro-Israel lobbyists in the US and Europe, a new report has claimed.
The 50-page report pubished by “Spinwatch: Public Interest Investigations” alleges that the UAE has influenced UK and US foreign and domestic policy through aggressive and “clandestine” lobbying.
It alleges that the UAE carried out its campaigning by “promising billions in return for influence in the US, infiltrating the British media to smear rivals, threatening to interfere in parliamentary select committee reports, buying politicians’ loyalty with lavish trips, donating to think tanks and trying to influence them, aiming to deport political opponents, trying to influence BBC coverage and protesting against press freedom.”
