Rayleigh and Wickford MP and member of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, Mark Francois has supported the Prime Minister’s action to authorise air strikes, coordinated with the United States of America and France, against the illegal use of chemical weapons on Duoma in Syria.
During an emergency debate in the House of Commons on Monday, Mark emphasised that this was an attack on innocent civilians who had no defence or training against the chemical weapons and had no chance against the attack. Mark quoted the words of the war poet Wilfred Owen in his famous poet “Dulce et Decorum Est”, describing the effects of chlorine gas during World War One, to explain the horror of its use against innocent civilians.
During the debate, Mark said:
“Part of today’s debate has been about whether our airstrikes were illegal. They were not illegal; it was the Syrian chemical attack on Douma that was illegal. Our airstrikes were targeted to defend the principles of the chemical weapons convention and thus uphold international law. That is the stark reality from which the leadership of the Opposition cannot escape. We have already heard reference to Burke’s dictum: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” We in this country did something, and we should be proud of it.”