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Jan 15 press conference: Scotland Yard to investigate Blair&Goldsmith war crimes

We Are Change UK & The Campaign to Make War History | 13.01.2008 12:44 | Anti-militarism | Social Struggles | Terror War | London | World


Press Conference, Room C, 1 Parliament St.
(just off Parliament Sq.)
Tuesday 15th January 2008 3pm

John McDonnell MP and members of the Campaign to Make War History will brief MPs and the media on allegations of war crimes committed against the people of Iraq by Britain's former Prime Minister and former Attorney General.

Officers from Scotland Yard have commenced a criminal investigation into the deaths of Iraqi citizens killed during the armed invasion and occupation of Iraq. The Metropolitan Police are acting in response to crimes reported by peace activists from We Are Change UK and The Campaign to Make War History. In an unprecedented step, the case was handed to the War Crimes division of the Counter Terrorism branch who are now investigating allegations of 14 criminal offences committed by Tony Blair, Lord Goldsmith and others. The offences are under the International Criminal Court Act 2001, which came into effect under English common law, just two days before 9/11.

Two Members of We Are Change UK and a representative from the Campaign to Make War History were interviewed for six hours at Belgravia Police station on the 20th December 2007. Evidence was provided to the police relating to the crimes of:-

• genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and conduct ancillary to these crimes under Sections 51 and 52 of The International Criminal Court Act 2001.
• a crime against peace and complicity in a crime against peace under Articles 6 and 7 of The Nuremburg Principles.
• murder, incitement to murder and conspiracy to murder under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.
• conspiracy to commit genocide, a crime against humanity and war crimes under the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Details of the alleged breaches of international treaties and violations of the laws of war will be provided at the meeting.

Contacts:-
Chris Coverdale (The Campaign to Make War History): 020 8540 2865;
John McDonnell MP: 020 7219 6908;
Simon Moore 0208 560 1319, Rob Little 07915 063322 (We Are Change UK)

83, Priory Gardens, London N6 5QU Tel: 020 8540 2865



Press Conference, Room C, 1 Parliament St.

(just off Parliament Sq.)

Tuesday 15th January 2008 3pm


John McDonnell MP and members of the Campaign to Make War History will brief MPs and the media on allegations of war crimes committed against the people of Iraq by Britain's former Prime Minister and former Attorney General.

Officers from Scotland Yard have commenced a criminal investigation into the deaths of Iraqi citizens killed during the armed invasion and occupation of Iraq. The Metropolitan Police are acting in response to crimes reported by peace activists from We Are Change UK and The Campaign to Make War History. In an unprecedented step, the case was handed to the War Crimes division of the Counter Terrorism branch who are now investigating allegations of 14 criminal offences committed by Tony Blair, Lord Goldsmith and others. The offences are under the International Criminal Court Act 2001, which came into effect under English common law, just two days before 9/11.

Two Members of We Are Change UK and a representative from the Campaign to Make War History were interviewed for six hours at Belgravia Police station on the 20th December 2007. Evidence was provided to the police relating to the crimes of:

• genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and conduct ancillary to these crimes under Sections 51 and 52 of The International Criminal Court Act 2001.
• a crime against peace and complicity in a crime against peace under Articles 6 and 7 of The Nuremburg Principles.
• murder, incitement to murder and conspiracy to murder under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.
• conspiracy to commit genocide, a crime against humanity and war crimes under the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Details of the alleged breaches of international treaties and violations of the laws of war will be provided at the meeting.


Contacts:

Chris Coverdale (The Campaign to Make War History): 020 8540 2865;

John McDonnell MP: 020 7219 6908;

Simon Moore 0208 560 1319, Rob Little 07915 063322 (We Are Change UK)

83, Priory Gardens, London N6 5QU Tel: 020 8540 2865

We Are Change UK & The Campaign to Make War History
- Homepage: http://wearechange.org.uk/

Comments

Hide the following 11 comments

Wider war abolition movement?

14.01.2008 00:31

Movement for the Abolition of War
Movement for the Abolition of War

We have all the potential tools, skills and laws needed to abolish war. Join us in helping to build:
 http://www.abolishwar.org.uk/home.shtml
An end to arm sales
Well researched campaign through Parliament and the Media
Economic justice
For those who lack basic resources
The Criminal Court
Every national or military leader to be accountable internationally
A more equitable UN
Give poor and small states a voice
Political Rights
For persecuted minorities
A World Peace force
Instead of gunboat diplomacy
Conflict prevention
Early outside mediation by the UN with Civilian monitors
Honoured treaties
Such as Kyoto, Landmines and the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Education for peace
In schools, colleges and the Media

At the start of the 20th century 20% of those killed in war were civilians. Today the reverse is true: 80% of those killed in war are civilian. As individuals or groups, there is a lot we can do to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war' Preamble to the UN charter)

 http://www.abolishwar.org.uk/home.shtml

Tony Gosling
- Homepage: http://www.public-interest.co.uk


Masonic bodges

14.01.2008 11:50

Call me an old cynic but can we really expect the brothers in Plod to find any fault with their fellow brothers Blair and Goldsmith?

Siobhan


Mixed feelings

16.01.2008 11:02

It's good that another attempt is being made to bring war criminals to book. And I wish it all the luck...

It's bad however that it's an alliance that includes some of the nuttiest 911Turth-style wannabees, who make a virtue out of hounding and smearing J7 bombing victims who refute their stance.

I've donated money to other legal funds for prosecuting Blair & Co. I'll be boycotting this mob so long as those idiots are involved. I dread to think what crap they produced as "evidence".

Not putting any money on this one


what are you trying to achieve?

16.01.2008 21:54

i'm intrigued, who are these "nuttiest 91 truth-style wannabees" you refer to?
what evidence do you have that they "hound and smear J7 bombing victims"?
surely, scotland yard wouldn't spend 6 hrs taking "crap" evidence?
and why would an intelligent MP like John McDonnell organise a press conference in parliament, if it was all a load of rubbish?

it's obvious from just a quick browse of the laws mentioned that there's a case to answer.

agent spotter


Waste of time?

17.01.2008 00:13

Nutters: J7T, who are listed on the We are Change website
Hounded a certain female blogger/J7 survivor; Hounders: members of J7T

Who knows what has motivated Scotland Yard. I could guess many scenarios that would result in them doing fuck all regarding the report.

If J7T has had a hand in the "evidence" and are working to their usual MO we can write this off as worthless. It could even serve to write off any further attempts to prosecute.

You think that MPs are beyond being gullible?

"Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government propose in respect of the import of (a) khat, (b) gammahydroxybutyrate and (c) "cake" to the United Kingdom. [38968]"

 http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199596/cmhansrd/vo960723/text/60723w10.htm

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Amess#Trivia

And let's not forget Saddam's WMD, his uranium and 45 minutes.

Not putting any money on this one


I see the, what's the point brigade, are out in force

17.01.2008 01:35

C'mon the mets!
go and get 'em psychopathic war crims!

ha Ha ha!

twopercenthuman


interesting

17.01.2008 09:04

i've taken a look at the 'we are change uk' site. it seems to have a lot of info i haven't heard much about elsewhere. to be fair they have links to other groups as well as j7.

as for the j7 site. it's information overload. to their credit, they broke the story that the government's official narrative got the train times wrong, that the alleged bombers took from luton (it was cancelled). this was only revealed to the house of commons a year later, on the day of the indian bombings in mumbai. burying bad news again?

i can never condone hounding innocent people. i hope it was a minority that were involved and would ask that you don't tarnish the whole group with the same brush. afterall some members of the police can be violent & corrupt. this does not mean to say that they are like that.

i take your point about gullibility. i'll withold judgement until we see some coverage of the press conference. i hope a video or mp3 will be released asap.

agent spotter


Reason to be cynical

17.01.2008 09:20

1. Kelly/Hutton
2. BAe/SFO
3. Goldsmith/ Royal Prerogative

JCdM/IPCC, Bloody Sunday/Hutton involved again, the list goes on and on.

It's not "WHAT's the point!" it is "What IS the point?"

The Establishment has a very poor track record of prosecuting the Establishment. I just fear they may have just let a bunch of nutters scupper the case for everyone else.


WAC's US parent organisation seems solely concerned with 9/11 and this is all that is in the "Activism" section of the UK site, I am concerned:

 http://wearechange.org.uk/activism.html

If the case they made to the Met looked anything like that flyer, you can rest assured the CPS won't touch it with a barge pole.

I think 'We are Change' should make its case as public as they can without jeopardising the prosecution and we can decide how viable it is or isn't.

Not putting any money on this one


agent spotter

17.01.2008 09:32

To my understanding the 3 main instigators of the hounding of the victim are the founders of J7T.

I think "information overload" is being a little too kind. Throwing shit at the wall would be more accurate. They infer a lot without any substantiation. They selectively quote. They cite technology that they haven't even bothered researching, because if they just googled it they'd find out how that technology couldn't do what they are asserting. In short, they are cranks.

Well I agree that not all police are bent. But the Home Office/ CLJ have had, especially in recent years, a piss poor tack record of scuppering worthy prosecutions.

Like you, I hope that I am proven wrong.

Not putting any money on this one


making sense

17.01.2008 17:32

you're making a lot of sense. i'll wait and see/hear the press conference before i pass judgement.
i rang the police and they confirmed that the case has been passed to the cps.

agent spotter


You mean there's doubt they're war criminals?

18.01.2008 22:51

Do me a favour

planning and starting an aggressive war.
is a war crime - and that's just what they did.

Just 'cos nobody else got off their arses and DID something about it.
(that includes me BTW) unless shouting "Blair is a war criminal" in job club counts!

Boycott Oil!

Bye

twopercenthuman