article_snippet: Ministers have been accused of putting profit over human rights after organising a secretive arms fair to sell tear gas and rubber bullets to a host of authoritarian regimes.
article_snippet: Since the Coalition came to power in 2010,
article_snippet: This includes £10million of tear gas or 'anti-riot irritants', £640,000 of 'crowd-control ammunition' and £3.1million of riot shields.
article_snippet: Some £2.95m of tear gas was sold to Saudi Arabia and £228,000 of 'crowd-control ammunition' to Libya while Muammar Gaddafi remained in power, the Independent reported.
article_snippet: Andrew Smith, from CAAT, told the newspaper: 'This is a sign of a system that puts arms-company profits ahead of human rights.
article_snippet: Weapons like tear gas have an indiscriminate effect and are synonymous with internal repression. '
article_snippet: The Government may have revoked the licence for tear gas to Libya, but The Government should never have been signed in the first place.
article_snippet: Muammar Gaddafi was a brutal tyrant from day one, and this is a reminder that acts of oppression by Muammar Gaddafi regime were carried out with British support.'