THE Saudi crown prince’s plans to visit Britain to offer condolences to the royal family has been condemned as “obscene” by anti-arms campaigners, who warned the despot is not welcome. 

Mohammed bin Salman is due to travel to London on Sunday to pay his respects to the Queen, according to reports in the Guardian and CNN Arabic, though it has not been confirmed whether he will attend the funeral at Westminster Abbey. 

It would be the first time the crown prince has visited Britain since the murder of Washington Post journalist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. 

The incident prompted a string of British sanctions against Khashoggi’s alleged killers, among them senior advisers to the prince. Bin Salman is accused of having approved the assassination, which he denies, though a CIA study concluded he had done so.

News of the visit has sparked outrage from campaigners and calls for protests. 

Responding to the reports, Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) said the Crown Prince should be treated as a “war criminal” rather than a valued ally, pointing to his regime’s onslaught on Yemen, where more than 300,000 people have been killed since 2015, as well as a long record of human rights abuses against Saudi civilians. 

“There are no circumstances where it is appropriate to receive Mohammed bin Salman as a welcome visitor to the UK,” CAAT communications co-ordinator Amber Rose-Dewey said. 

“He is at the head of a murderous regime which in recent months has carried out the largest mass execution in the country’s modern history, and sentenced women to decades in prison simply for re-tweeting.”

She added: “The welcoming of Bin Salman speaks volumes to the disregard our government and new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, have for the people of Yemen.”

Stop the War coalition co-convener Lindsay German told the Star: “The Saudi regime is one of the most undemocratic and vicious in the world. 

“Bin Salman is implicated in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He is not welcome here and it is an obscenity that the authorities should even consider him being at the funeral.

“We know, however, that the new king has very close ties to the Saudi royal family. Britain sells arms to this repressive monarchy and depends on its oil wealth. 

“Democracy and human rights can wait while there is money to be made is the message from our government and royalty. There should be the strongest possible protests at this visit.”

The prince last visited Britain in 2018, when he greeted the queen at Buckingham Palace. The two royal families have deep ties spanning back decades. 

King Charles has an especially close connection with the Saudi dynasty, having made as many as 12 official visits to the Gulf state since 1967 – more than any other Middle Eastern country. 

Neither the killing of Khashoggi, nor evidence of Saudi war crimes in Yemen have stopped world leaders, including former PM Boris Johnson, from continuing to meet with Prince Mohammed, often to urge him to increase oil production. 

British arms sales to the Gulf state have also continued since a ban on sales was lifted by PM Liz Truss in 2020. 

“The British Establishment's dangerous relationship with the Saudi regime involves sales of arms worth billions of pounds, as well as UK armed forces providing military training to Saudi armed forces,” Peace Pledge Union campaigns manager Symon Hill said.
 
“Members of the Windsor family, including Charles and Andrew, have both been heavily involved in the promotion of British arms sales in the Middle East. 

“As he mourns his mother, Charles now has a chance to show his respect for victims of the Saudi regime, and to show that his attitude has changed, by making it clear that Bin Salman would not be welcome at the funeral.”

The visit was also condemned by Khashoggi’s fiancee, Harris Cengiz who described it as a “stain” on the memory of the queen and an attempt by Prince Mohammed to use the period of mourning to “seek legitimacy and normalisation,” in comments to the Guardian.