Blair under investigation for War Crimes

Guy Aitchison (London, OK): Chances are you won't have heard anything about this in the mainstream media but Scotland Yard have apparently launched an investigation into allegations that Tony Blair, Lord Goldsmith and others committed war crimes in their role in the occupation and invasion of Iraq. On January 15 2008, John McDonnell MP, along with Chris Coverdale, the International War Law Expert, and Annie Machon, of the Campaign to Make War History, briefed MPs and the media on the investigation and the crimes Blair and others are alleged to have committed (see the footage below). Apparently they tried over 150 times since February 2003 to get the police to take up the investigation until, eventually, the War Crimes division of the Counter Terrorism branch at Scotland Yard called them to give evidence. Whether or not this leads to a full blown investigation, the video of the press conference certainly makes for dramatic viewing. Coverdale delivers the list of allegations in sombre lawyerly tones and certainly doesn't sound like your average leftie activist. At one point he warns that "Every adult in Britain who has paid tax since the war started, committed the crime of ‘conduct ancillary to genocide, conduct ancillary to crimes against humanity, and conduct ancillary to war crimes'...as well as crimes against peace." Ignorance of the law, he says, is "no excuse", although (luckily) the courts may be lenient if citizens, once aware of the crimes, do what they can to bring them to a halt. Although Coverdale says they have a "great chance" of success and the legal case (to my untrained eyes) seems strong, the best that can probably be hoped for from the point of view of anti-war campaigners, in the face of "senior opposition" in the Met, is that this re-ignites the debate over the legality of the war and the need for proper accountability.

PS- I spoke to Chris Coverdale today whilst waiting to greet Condi Rice outside No 10. He said that the investigation is ongoing and that figures at "the top" of the Met had instructed their press office to dampen media speculation, prompting the question by the Sky News reporter (later on in the footage) as to whether or not this is genuine.

The following video (1 of 4 on YouTube) and info come from Make War History:

[youtube=http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QiNI5SbIsyg]

A statement of what happens follows:

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.