Vigil outside Air Marshal Torpy's Lecture.

When: Thursday 12 February - arrive for 18:00.
Where: Cambridge engineering department, Trumpington street.
Bring candles and banners.

Air Marshal G L Torpy was one of the top commanders during the Iraq
invasion and in charge of the Royal Air Force operations. He is
invited this Thursday 12th February to speak in the engineering
department by the Cambridge branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society
about the `Air war in Iraq'. A vigil will be held outside to remind
him of the 10,000 civilian dead, and many more military casualties,
that his illegal campaign has caused.

As a top commander of the RAF he not only shares responsibility with
politicians for what they dismiss as `collateral damage', but is also
directly responsible for engaging in an illegal war of
aggression. Without UN mandate, and with no threat to the UK, he led
an invasion that resulted in the occupation of Iraq. The result of his
actions was not only the immediate death and wounding of tens of
thousands of individual Iraquis, but also the ongoing economic and
political subjugation of an entire population.

Air Marshal G L Torpy is responsible for collaborating and directly
participating in what should be seen as a crime under international
law. His actions can be described, according to the Nuremberg
principles, as crimes against peace: "the planning, preparation,
initiation or waging of a war of aggression". His faithful and
honorable obedience to his political leaders is no excuse. "The fact
that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a
superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international
law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him."

The choice of subject and speaker glorifies the
logistical, technical and organizational aspects of the the Iraq
offensive, rather than its devastating and morally unjustifiable
cost. It clearly shows the priorities of his hosts and the
University of Cambridge.
For more information contact  manos@riseup.net