Media |
Jan 27
2010
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Let Blair face his criticsPosted by Kate Hudson in Untagged   |
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The nannying of Tony Blair is reaching ridiculous proportions. When he goes before the Iraq Inquiry on Friday, attempts are afoot to prevent his delicate ears being sulied by the sounds of popular protest. CND and the Stop the War Coalition have planned a day-long peaceful vigil outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre but we have now been told - just three days before the event - that we are not allowed to gather on the grass outside. This is where previous protests have taken place during the Inquiry.
We have negotiated with the police over many days and they had assured us that they were happy for us to protest directly outside the centre. But now we have been told that all access will be denied. Of all the silly excuses possible, we have now been told that as the QEII centre is 'private land', it is the centre which has the right to deny access. Needless to say, this isn't the full picture. The facility is actually operated by a publicly-owned Government Executive Agency under the authority of the Department of Communities and Local Government. This is clearly a political decision.
It is disgraceful that the right to peaceful protest is being denied so blatantly. As the police say they have no security objections to our vigil being held outside the Inquiry, we can only assume that this is an attempt to protect Tony Blair from the overwhelming anti-war sentiment that exists in this country. It is only proper that he should see and hear those of us who have been proved right in our opposition to his war, particularly the many family members of those he sent to die. Come and join us on Friday: insist on our democratic right to peaceful protest - and let Blair know what you think of his war crimes.
tight.There's no one minute delay on this comment.The Government are clearly still worried by protest and the members of the previous Blair administration still worried by the prospect of prosecution.What is clear and what CND themselves went to court over is the scant regard security council members paid to international law.Blairs role was to ensure the military program was not stopped by the legal constraints of the UN performing his role at the bidding of his US masters at the time Bush and Cheney. What we need now is a full inquiry into Bush and the American tragectory to war, unfortunately a principal witness to this phase Saddam Hussein has been killed, the question I ask is what secrets died with him, was any testimony taken from Saddam in custody on the many issues that remain outstanding.Will this be aired at the Chilcott Enquiry?