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Netizens recently took to the internet to claim that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was trying to recreate Thatcher’s Falklands moment, as they were dissatisfied with Sunak’s decision to strike the Houthi rebels in Yemen with bombs.
The tweets come in response to a series of air and cruise missile strikes launched on January 12, 2024, by a coalition of the US and the UK – supported by Bahrain, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands – against the Houthis.
The attack on Houthis took place in response to the Red Sea crisis started by the Houthi rebels in October 2023, who allegedly started attacking the ships and vessels in the Red Sea as a declaration of their support for Hamas in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In the light of the upcoming UK general elections, Rishi Sunak’s Yemen bombings are being allegedly viewed as his attempt to win the public’s trust and votes through his military victory. The Yemen bombings have led people of the country to draw parallels between Sunak’s actions and that of Margaret Thatcher in the 1982 Falklands War.
Netizens compare Rishi Sunak’s Yemen bombing to Thatcher’s Falklands War
In the 10-week Falklands war between the UK and Argentina, the former emerged victorious, winning Thatcher both public support and elections and cementing her name as the Iron Lady in history.
Rishi Sunak’s recent decision to join hands with the US and other countries to counterattack the Houthis in Yemen in response to the Red Sea crisis is seen by many UK citizens as an imitation of Thatcher’s Falklands moment in an attempt to win the upcoming general elections.
The netizens took to X (Twitter) to mock Sunak for trying to recreate the Falklands moment. Some of them even expressed their discontent at the irony of the UK being able to afford a war amid a battered economy.
Rishi Sunak states the Yemen strikes were an act of self-defense
Amidst all the social media uproar, Rishi Sunak spoke from Ukraine after launching the first airstrikes on Yemen. According to The Standard, Sunak stated:
"Our aim is very clear. It’s to de-escalate tensions and restore stability to the region. That’s why allies over the past few weeks have issued several statements of condemnation of what’s happening, calling on the Houthis to desist.”
He continued:
“We have acted in self-defense; it’s incumbent now on the Houthis to stop carrying out these attacks, disrupting the global economy… that’s not right.”
The Prime Minister also told the reports that the UK “won’t hesitate to protect lives and ensure the safety of commercial shipping.”
“We’ll continue to monitor the situation. But it’s clear that this type of behavior can’t be met without a response.”
Both the UK and the US stand united on their front, with the US Security Council spokesman, John Kirby stating America “won’t hesitate to take further action” if necessary.
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