4. 90-second Statements

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:56 pm on 24 October 2018.

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Photo of Neil McEvoy Neil McEvoy Independent 2:56, 24 October 2018

For well over a century, people from the Yemen have been coming to our country to make Wales their home. It's a little-known fact that the first mosque in Britain was built on Glynrhondda Street in Cardiff. The Yemenis came as sailors to work on coal boats that stopped at the port of Aden before returning to Cardiff and Newport. My grandfather was one of those Yemeni seamen who settled in Wales. The country that they left behind is now in turmoil. Since 2015, it's been under attack by a vicious military campaign led by Saudi Arabia. Thousands of civilians have been killed, and those whose not fallen to bombs and bullets are now facing widespread disease and famine. The British Government has done little other than sell even more weapons to the Saudis, but as the Welsh Parliament we need to stand up for communities living in Wales, including the long-standing Yemeni community. I've introduced a statement of opinion calling for mental health and aid support from the Welsh Government to the Welsh Yemeni community. That's to help with the real struggle, knowing what family members in Yemen are going through. I hope you can all sign it and that we can take some positive action to solve this man-made disaster.