IRAQ WAR ON TRIAL AT HIGH COURT LEVEL IN BRISTOL!

Bristol-Stop-The-War | 07.12.2003 17:46 | Anti-militarism

IRAQ WAR ON TRIAL AT HIGH COURT LEVEL IN BRISTOL!

A week long hearing at High Court level will take place during Jan 2004, in Bristol, to
decide if the Iraq war broke either international law, or British criminal law.

BACKGROUND: "A few days before the war on Iraq last March, 5 activists cut their way into Fairford Air Force base. Phil Pritchard & Toby Olditch, & Josh Richards, tried to reach & disarm the B-52 bombers stationed there, waiting to attack Iraq . Paul Milling & Margaret Jones disabled trucks used for carrying bombs, & tankers for fuelling the planes.
All 5 are charged with conspiracy &/or criminal damage. Each of the activists offers a
'lawful excuse' defence - that they aimed at preventing the crime of the Iraq war. Therefore, in an unprecedented move, - the question of whether the war was in fact illegal has to be considered at High Court level, before the trials can go ahead.

CALENDAR SO FAR: a) Directions Hearing On 15th December 2003. b) High Court Hearing On The Legality Of The War In January 2004 (or February). c) Trial Of Margaret Jones & Paul Milling Begins on 8th March 2004. d) This trial will then be followed by those of Phil Pritchard & Toby Olditch, & of Josh Richards.

a) DIRECTIONS HEARING @ TRURO CROWN COURT 15th DECEMBER.
Prior to the main trial there will be a Directions Hearing on 15th December at Truro Crown Court (Cornwall): 9:15-10:00am & resuming again at Noon.
THERE WILL BE ALSO BE A VIGIL OUTSIDE BRISTOL CROWN COURT.
Time: 9:30am. Place: Small Street (100 yards from the entrance to St.
Nick's market in Corn Street). Please Do Come Along To This Vigil. MAP BELOW:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=358762&Y=173072&A=Y&Z=1

b) HIGH COURT HEARING ON LEGALITY OF WAR IN JAN (OR FEB) 2004.
@Bristol Crown Court. Watch this space for more information & events.

c) 8th MARCH. TRIALS OF MARGARET JONES & PAUL MILLING BEGINS.
March 8th - Trial of Margaret Jones and Paul Milling begins. Margaret and Paul will rely on the testimony of expert witnesses. They hope to call international law experts, journalists, & a medical worker who was in Iraq during the war. This is our chance to see the Iraq war finally brought to trial in a British court.

d) THESE TRIALS WILL THEN BE FOLLOWED BY THOSE OF........
Phil Pritchard & Toby Olditch, & of Josh Richards. The verdicts of the trials of Margaret
Jones & Paul Milling are likely to have a direct bearing on these trials.

Bristol-Stop-The-War
Homepage: http://www.fairfordpeacewatch.com/IraqWaronTrial.html

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

But come on the war was a success

08.12.2003 16:53

The war was largely a success. Where were the hundreds of thousands of dead and injured that the anti-war camp claimed there would be? Casualties were relatively small only 2000 civilians died during the war and crowds of jubilant Iraqi citizens were seen on TV screens and in newsopapers thanking British and American troops for liberating them from Saddam.

voice of the majority

On second thought

08.12.2003 20:59

My Mum has just pointed out this web site to me, cataloguing in detail all the civilian dead from the Iraq War:

http://www.iraqbodycount.net

Blimey, nearly 8,000 dead minimum, nearly 10,000 dead maximum!

Looks like the war was a bit of a fucking disaster! What was I thinking!

Sorry!

voice of the majority

Fairford trial slated to start 23rd Feb

09.12.2003 13:04

Also should be noted that the trial of seven people accused of aggravated trespass (and one of criminal damage), on 9th March 2003 at RAF/USAF Fairford, is due to begin at Cirencester magistrates court on 23rd February.

As a conviction for "aggravated trespass" requires the accused to have "obstructed lawful activity", one of the main planks of the defence case will be that the loading and preparation of American B-52 bombers was not lawful, and that the war was not lawful, so this will be another trial where the legality (or complete lack of) the attack on Iraq will be challenged.

Col Buendia
mail e-mail: bozavine@yahoo.co.uk
Homepage: http://us.geocities.com/bozavine/can/

Iraqibodycount.net?

09.12.2003 19:57

I know why the good hearted people at www.iraqibodycount.net didn't start this heart warming page a decade ago. Uncle Saddam would have broke their fucking counter! Oh yeah mate, that site counts injuries in their total. So a chap with a boo-boo on his pinkie would be included in the 'body count'. Sounds like that site is a fucking disaster. Is what I'm thinking.

Rich K

http://www.iraqbodycount.net

09.12.2003 23:23

Well if you want to understand it, maybe you should try reading it, Rich K. You might start with the front page:

"Reported civilian deaths: Minimum 7935, Maximum 9766.

Further down the front page:

"At least 20,000 civilians were injured in the Iraq war: Why are the occupiers ignoring their suffering and their needs?"

Look closely at those numbers. Minimum 7,935 civilian deaths. At least 20,000 injured.

Methodology (how they counted the deaths):

http://www.iraqbodycount.net/background.htm#methods

And just look at the left-wing, commie sources they used to gather the data, including Fox News, The Telegraph, The Times, Aviation Week, UPI and the Washington Post.

Sounds like you didn't fucking well bother to read it. Is what I'm thinking.

http://www.iraqbodycount.net

voice of the majority
Homepage: http://www.iraqbodycount.net

IraqBodyCount.net only uses REPORTED DEATHS

09.12.2003 23:41

Iraq Body Count only uses 'reported deaths' in the 'body count' - not all wounded. As the reports have to be verified agains other reports, real deaths are likely to be much higher.

As to the suffering of the iraqi people under saddam; the US/Britain (and France and Russia for that matter too, plus the chinese) have to share in the blame for the terrible atrocities he committed.

In the war with Iran which claimed over 1 MILLION LIVES, the US armed both sides. After the hallabja atrocity (which the US officialy blamed on Iran until sadam became an official 'bad guy') the US and Britain CONTINUED to arm Saddam.

The sanctions post-1991 were described as genocide by Denis Halliday, who worked for the UN when they were being implemented, and resigned in disgust. See

http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/99/9.30.99/Halliday_talk.html

Then US Secretary of State Madeline Albright infamously remarked that the deaths of 500,000 innocent children caused by sanctions was 'a price worth paying'.

Saddam was undoubtedly a despicable tyrant, but a symptom of the broader problem of the powerful killing as many millions of people as they see fit to further their ends (which aren't world peace in case you havn't noticed . . . bombing for peace/fucking for virginity sums it up i think)

a little bit of truth won't hurt now will it

Heres your truth

10.12.2003 18:29

"a little bit of truth won't hurt now will it"

Verified reports huh? Yet the bodycount min/max is a 20% spread? How verified can that be?

Iraqibodycount.net and its ilk dont give a shit about the Iraqi's. They want to see that counter go as high as it can. Why? Because it would advance their political agenda. If they truly cared, they would have had this site up LONG before the beginning of the war, they would have Rwandanbodycount.net as well.

The truth is since the US has taken over the Iraqi's have access to the food that was promised by the UN for a decade. It's no longer funding yet another palace for your hero Saddam. Let me ask you? What entities and countrys got rich off the Iraqi sanctions? France (developing the Iraqi oil fields with Total Fina Elf). The UN (Made 2 billion dollars off the sales of Iraqi Oil) No wonder they didn't want that gravy train to end. Saddam and the Taliban are out of power and you guys seem truly upset over it. You guys sound like a bunch of kooks. By all means, keep sounding like you support these guys, it only makes Bush stronger.

When Americans vote next year they will have the choice of a guy who is going to take it to the terrorists or a guy who is going to sit back and wait for it to happen to us again. Guess which one we are going to vote for? Do you have any clue in your head that your crazed rhetoric is going to get Bush elected? Does that ever dawn on you? You guys aren't shooting yourself in the foot, you are cutting off you own damn leg.

Rich K

80%

11.12.2003 00:04

That's right: there were nearly 10,000 reported civilian deaths, but so far only about 8,000 independently verified: 80 percent.

And what makes you think we're worried about Bush getting "elected"? Things will be no different if Clarke or Dean win your "election", as you like to call it. Clinton was no better than Bush, and the next "Democrat" will be no better than the last "Republican".

You put Saddam in power, paid billions for his oil to cart your fat arses around in SUVs. You looked the other way when he nerve-gassed his own people, then tried to blame it on Iran. We were protesting at the US and Iraq embassies then, as now. The press ignored us; the right-wing called us "naive", and said that "we sometimes have to deal with people like that, that's political reality".

Then, when he was no more use to you, you finally decided that he was your enemy after all, so you cluster-bombed the shit out of the same suffering people you let down last time, when they tried to push him out. Then you took over their oil.

I truly hope Bush does get elected, because that will guarantee another couple of planes dropping on you evil fuckers.

Lee