Where most of us would like to see Blair end up...
Judgement Day for Blair today at the Chilcot Inquiry. There were around a couple of hundred people when I got there braving the bitter cold and rain. It was smaller than I thought but weather was awful and middle of a week day.
And Blair had been sneaked in the back way earlier in the morning at around 7:30am. Gutless coward couldn’t face the protesters. The cops were standing behind the barricades looking bored some were lurking around the protesters.
I haven’t looked at the live feed on the Guardian website as have just got back from the protest outside the event and frankly can’t stomach reading his lies. Though I heard a someone from the Military Families Against the War walked out while listening to Blair. And who can blame them!
I got to the protest at 9:30am and was heard the Naming of the Dead Ceremony. Speeches then were given by various people from Brian Eno, George Galloway, Jeremy Corbyn, Lindsey German, and the actor Sam West who quoted Harold Pinter. It was a very powerful and poignant performance. All of the speakers spoke about the lies and deceit of Blair et al that led to a barbaric, unjust and illegal war where thousands upon thousands have died, a bloody imperialist war and occupation ,where the infrastructure of Iraq has been destroyed. And for what?
The actor Sam West quoting from Harold Pinter
Later we heard Maxine Gentle, sister of Gordon Gentle who was killed in Iraq on June 28th 2004. She read out a letter she sent Blair in 2004 (included in the pamphlet Iraq: The People’s Dossier). The below is an extract.
Gordon had only passed out in April, and yet by May you sent him and many others in a war zone.
What I find strange is that in order to be a qualified plumber or electrician you need to train for three or four years, but to be a qualified soldier, and learn to kill someone, you only need six months!
The protest finishes at 4pm-5pm as that’s when Blair leaves no doubt out of the back entrance without facing the protesters.
Maxine Gentle
More pix on my Flickr page.
Michael Mansfield on the Iraq Inquiry
Thanks very much for your account and the photos, Harpy. I was expecting to see some of those speakers interviewed in the media but the only detractors I saw were Ming Campbell and Gilligan.
Thanks for that MM.
Yes, it is so odd…. all I keep seeing on the news is Gilligan and Ming Campbell… and no one else.
Excellent pics and write-up. I wore the Blair mask at our own modest protest in Newcastle earlier – quite an odd experience! As for the exclusion of serious anti-war voices in the media coverage, it is sadly all too predictable. ‘Debate’ and ‘dissent’ are contained within very firm boundaries.
Cheers Alex, very cold but worth it. And I must confess I got sick of seeing Gilligan and Ming Campbell all the time on the BBC!!
excellent share…thank you…i wish i knew more about gilligan