THE government is facing calls to investigate the use of British-made tear gas to crack down on protests in Oman. 

A rare wave of demonstrations against corruption and unemployment in the Gulf tyranny in recent days has been met with tear gas and other weapons fired by Omani riot police. 

Campaigners are calling for an investigation after images were posted on social media by investigative journalist Phil Miller appearing to show that canisters made by PW Defence, an arms manufacturer based in Derby, were used against demonstrators. 

Campaign Against the Arms Trade’s Andrew Smith said: “The images are very damning and must not be ignored. There must be a full investigation into the use of UK-made tear gas or other weapons in the attacks, and an end to the shameful policy that allowed them to be sold in the first place.”

Oman has faced an unprecedented tide of demonstrations, which began last Sunday in the small port city of Sohar and have since spread to several other cities and towns.

Security forces have responded by firing tear gas and arresting demonstrators, according to human rights groups.

Mr Smith said the last few days have “exposed the authoritarian character and abuses of the regime in Oman.

“For decades now the UK has armed and supported the dictatorship, helping to secure its position regardless of the threats and abuses that it has inflicted on opponents.”

Oman has a close relationship with Britain and is one of the largest buyers of British weapons, with over £1.6 billion worth of arms licensed since 2015, according to CAAT. 

The calls come amid growing pressure on the British government to also investigate the possible use of British-made weapons by the Israeli military against Palestinians in Gaza. 

On Wednesday in the Commons, Labour MP Zarah Sultana questioned the PM on whether British arms were used to kill Palestinian children, accusing the government of complicity in Israel’s crimes through its weapons sales. 

Since 2015, Britain has sold £387 million worth of arms to Israel. 

Ms Sultana said today that a “wholesale change of arms licensing and foreign policy is desperately needed.

“The Conservative government claims to support peace and human rights abroad, but time and time again its actions prove otherwise,” she told the Morning Star.

“From arming repression in Oman, to potentially supplying weapons for war crimes in Gaza, the Conservatives put imperialist interests and arms dealers’ profits before the rights of oppressed peoples. It’s an utterly shameful record and it ought to be a national scandal.”

A government spokesperson said: “We consider all our export applications thoroughly against a strict risk assessment framework and keep all licences under careful and continual review as standard. This, of course, applies to our exports to Oman.”