Is stating Tony is a war criminal libelous?

Charity Sweet | 31.03.2007 14:08 | Repression | Terror War | London

Recieved this email and from our friends @ 10 Downing Street regarding the petition I submitted to send our beloved dictator to the Hague.

Sorry Kat... apparently your amazing work of literature and those fliers I love so dear is apparently libelous??? Does Nuremburg Law ever come into the mix?

SOCPA: the gag order on free speech

From : 10 Downing Street
Sent : 29 March 2007 11:14:43
To :

charitysweet@hotmail.co.uk
Subject : Your petition has been rejected

| | | Inbox

Hi,

I'm sorry to inform you that your petition has been rejected.

Your petition was classed as being in the following categories:

* Potentially libellous, false, or defamatory statements

If you wish to edit and resubmit your petition, please follow
the following link:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ArrestTony/D5b9MaCitbx8BwDlNtAxapI

You have four weeks in which to do this, after which your
petition will appear in the list of rejected petitions.

Your petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to: 'Sign his
own arrest warrant and go directly to the Hague'

Wanted for war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and for the
complicity in war crimes against the poeple of Palestine and
Lebanon. For severely curtailing civil liberties, freedom of
speech and democracy at home. This criminal is extremely
dangerous and should not be appraoched. Have you seen him? Call
020 7240 1212 (24 hour confidential hotline)

-- the ePetitions team

Charity Sweet
e-mail: charitysweet@hotmail.co.uk

Comments

Hide the following 14 comments

I think you will find it under...

31.03.2007 14:46

defamatory statement.

jo bloggs

put it on a web site

31.03.2007 18:57

Put the petition on a web site and we can all sign it there, print it and post it to them and the press. How many signatures do you think are required to make him crap himself?

made up a new petition

31.03.2007 19:03

Your petition, with short name ArrestTony, will look like this:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Stop killing other nation's children and depriving millions of children their human rights.

Submitted by Charity Sweet – Deadline to sign up by: 31 March 2008

Category: Public order, justice and rights

More details:

Tony, Jesus loves you. The rest of the world thinks you're a wanker.

Please exit Downing Street immediately and go directly to the Hague for your upcoming trial of war crimes against humanity.

Now please read through your petition, above, and check the details thoroughly. Read carefully – we can't let you change the wording of your petition once people have started to sign up to it. People who sign up to a petition are signing up to the specific wording of the petition. If you change the wording, then their signatures would no longer be valid.

Please also check your contact details:

* Name: Charity Sweet
* Email:

charitysweet@hotmail.co.uk
* Organisation:
* Address: Parliament Square Westminster London England
* Postcode: Sw1 1AA
* Telephone: 02072401212

When you're happy with your petition, click "Create" to confirm

Charity

reword it to say substantially the same

31.03.2007 20:58

Your petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to: 'Sign his
own arrest warrant and go directly to the Hague'

Wanted for war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and for the
complicity in war crimes against the poeple of Palestine and
Lebanon. For severely curtailing civil liberties, freedom of
speech and democracy at home. This criminal is extremely
dangerous and should not be appraoched. Have you seen him? Call
020 7240 1212 (24 hour confidential hotline)

-- the ePetitions team

The potentially libellous piece is "This criminal". He is innocent until proven guilty so, to state that he _is_ a criminal is potentially libellous. If a war crimes trial were to happen and he was found innocent then the statement would be libellous if you persisted. The probable best thing to do is to reword it to be less definite:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to: 'Have his
own arrest warrant signed and to go directly to the Hague'

In connection with: war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan; and for suspicion of
complicity in war crimes against the peoples of Palestine and
Lebanon. To address allegations of severely curtailing civil liberties, freedom of
speech and democracy at home. The Prime Minister is believed to have behaved in
an extremely dangerous manner and should not be approached. Have you seen him?
Call 020 7240 1212 (24 hour confidential hotline)

It will then need to be rejected for a different reason.

pedantic fart

LOL! Let him sue

01.04.2007 00:23

Hey Charity,

Imagine how surreal it would be to be sued for libel for calling a WAR CRIMINAL a WAR CRIMINAL. 'Defamatory, libellous'? I don't think so...and anyway, what are words compared to deeds like invading, occupying, bombing, KILLING?

Think we should have another leaflet blitz, eh?

Kat

Kat
mail e-mail: Kbutterley@gmail.com

Do you want this petition to succeed?

01.04.2007 12:49

Unlike the impeach Bliar mob who seem to have got nowhere?

Then use govt weapons against the govt and Mossad weapons against Mossad. A good place to start would be a thorough examination of how they all tried to pin Milosevic down.

The end result of that would be too good in this present case, though...

If your petition is based mainly on the Brit sense of humour and fairness, then it's fine the way it is, IMO.

Just a thought - how about nominating Brian Haw for PM - perhaps he could be induced to have a word or two with George Galloway on the matter?

CryForJustice

Charity Sweet

01.04.2007 21:02

But charity, Lord Goldsmith that the war was legal because a piece of legislation that allows the government to declare anything outside the realm of criminal felony legal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_prerogative

Despite the fact that Kofi Anan said it was illegal:

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/BHA412A.html

And the niggling fact that Goldsmith got caught lying about the first briefing that the outstanding UNSC resolutions are no legal basis for war.

In terms of UK law the attorney general's second opinion (the public one) means that superficially the war is legal.

But, it doesn't mean that outside the UK Blair could not be dragged to the Hauge for war crimes, since the attorney general's decision only applies to the UK.

So technically there may be a case for libel/defamation... but is there anyone who isn't in a padded cell that thinks Blair isn't a lying shit and a mass murderer?

Just imagine Hitler defending himself at Nuremberg on the basis that Reinhard Heydrich said he was acting legally.

Not Donald Rumsfled

Appeal

01.04.2007 22:32

I'd appeal this decision, because I work in the media, have taught communications law, and know that this statement - which is true - does not constitute 'libel'.

Investigate, Impeach, Imprison

Investigate, Impeach, Imprison

01.04.2007 23:10

perhaps we could have a petition to support the banned petition heehee!

Not Donald Rumsfled

Fair Comment Defence

01.04.2007 23:32

If someone wants to sue for libel, then they must go to court to make their case.

The person being sued may choose to argue that what they said was not libellous, but 'fair comment'. They may call witnesses to back up their testimony.

Imagine Blair trying to sue on this, and those being sued being able to call Iraqi children and Afghan civilians in their defence!

Riversider

If only...

02.04.2007 06:14

Just imagine we got Kofi Anan and the French, German and Russian ambassadors to the UN to testify against him hahahahaha! Then perhaps Hans Blix and a member of Operation Rockingham that hasn't gone "for a walk in the woods".

It'd be the best viewing since they called the votes in Sedgefield.

Not Donald Rumsfled

On reflection...

03.04.2007 00:13

Lord Goldsmith's decision has no bearing on the other illegal aspects of Iraqi Freedom. Bombing civillian tartgets like power stations, water treatments plants, hospitals, mosques, schools and the traffic infrastructure are in fact war crimes in themselves.

Even if the UNSC supported the war, those acts would still be illegal. If you want to present this in a form that references the Geneva Conventions, I'd gladly help out.

I'm off to do a 100 mile hill walk for 5 days from Thursday morning, and running around looking after kids, cats and my teeth in the meantime. So perhaps e-mailing me would be an idea

richard.mckean@zoom.co.uk

Not Donald Rumsfled

say it like it is

03.04.2007 18:21

i have stood outside downing street with the following banner:

"arrest the war criminals - killing children for money" - a banner I asked to produce in court last thursday - the cowards in government wont dare do you for libellous, defamatory or false allegations - they just dont want a petition - that going on every passersby comments at downing street regarding this government - pretty much everyone from around the world would sign.

tucker

Try, try again... you only lose if you quit!

05.04.2007 19:56

From : 10 Downing Street
Sent : 05 April 2007 11:27:59
To :

charitysweet@hotmail.co.uk
Subject : Your petition has been rejected again

| | | Inbox

Hi,

I'm sorry to inform you that your petition has been rejected
again.

Your petition was classed as being in the following categories:

* Potentially libellous, false, or defamatory statements

* Language which is offensive, intemperate, or provocative

Your petition will now appear in the list of rejected
petitions.

Your petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to: 'Stop
killing other nation's children and depriving millions of
children their human rights.'

Tony, Jesus loves you. The rest of the world thinks you're a
wanker.

Please exit Downing Street immediately and go directly to the
Hague for your upcoming trial of war crimes against humanity.

-- the ePetitions team

Charity