Comment at end
26th January, 2010
Monbiot: “The fund will remain open for as long as Mr Blair lives, or until he is officially prosecuted. If it still contains money after his death or prosecution, the remainder will be donated to one or more organisations campaigning for international justice, or used to pursue other people responsible for the Iraq war.” (MY emphasis)
So says this sweet little attempt to incite murder by the love ‘n’ peace man – George Monbiot
“This site offers a reward to people attempting a peaceful citizen’s arrest of the former British prime minister, Tony Blair, for crimes against peace. Anyone attempting an arrest which meets the rules laid down here will be entitled to one quarter of the money collected at the time of his or her application.
Money donated to this site will be used for no other purpose than to pay bounties for attempts to arrest Tony Blair.”
“Bounties”? “Bounties”? Isn’t that word usually attached to these words - “dead or alive”? Or is that thinking too lateral, but not literal? I am not convinced, Mr Monbiot.
And here at The Guardian he describes his reasons why Blair should be killed… arrested.
“Wanted: Tony Blair for war crimes. Arrest him and claim your reward
Chilcot and the courts won’t do it, so it is up to us to show that we won’t let an illegal act of mass murder go unpunished”
Read that again: “Chilcot and the courts won’t do it, so it is up to us …”
If the courts won’t do it, why even arrest him? The courts “won’t do it”! You just said so, Monbiot! The Crown Prosecution Service will not put up a case against Tony Blair for “crimes against peace” because there isn’t one. You know it, Monbiot.
YOU are inciting violence, perhaps even murder and you should be locked up.
Your puerile website is designed to rouse the half-sane like yourself to feeling that they can/should/MUST take the law into their own hands, since “the courts won’t”.
It is INCITEMENT TO KILL. Nothing less. And you, Monbiot, know it.
My call to the authorities – arrest Monbiot now, and take down his hate-inspiring website.
The commenters at his site are fairly evenly mixed. Some see him as a hero, almost as many as an idiot. But the points made by some paint a clear picture of what many of them want. For instance the first one here below wants an extrajudicial approach.
I have selected mostly the more sane comments, for the rest go to his Guardian article here.
Read on down for a flavour of just what democracy is up against with these ranters as Mr Blair gives his “not a trial” Iraq Inquiry evidence this Friday.
By the way, just so you know. I sent a comment to Monbiot’s dreadful Guardian article. It wasn’t heavy. I didn’t save it, as The Guardian doesn’t usually remove comments unless they use abusive language. Mine didn’t. Under the name “This Stinks” it has been deleted by the moderator. Why? Because I said something to this effect:
So the removal of that comment says all we need to know about Mr Monbiot. It confirms the truth in the heading I use at this blog – “Innocent Until proven Tony Blair”.
And THIS comment was considered worthy of removal? Atrocious behaviour.
ARREST MONBIOT NOW
duppyconqueror
25 Jan 2010, 7:37PM
I’d recommend an extra judicial approach.
-far more likely to bring about a satisfactory result.
legalcynic
25 Jan 2010, 7:47PM
Given the reform to PACE by ahem one Tony Blair, a citizens arrest of Blair would be unlawful. See Police and Criminal Evidence Act s.24A (3) (b).
Sorry to spoil your fun.
Now, what you might have is a conspiracy with persons unknown to counsel or procure the unlawful arrest and false imprisonment of a named person, I think that that might not go down well in all quarters in all circumstances.
Danot
25 Jan 2010, 7:48PM
It’s not that I don’t think that Blair is a war criminal. I’d stand and cheer with the best of them if he was dangling from a rope for his crime. However, he’s also a war criminal surrounded by well armed and well trained police officers with lots of backup no more than a few minutes away.
The best that could happen, would be that the person attempting the arrest would be cuffed and detained for a few hours, it could also be a lot worse, even fatal.
I don’t see why you can’t make the attempt yourself George, as it’s your idea. With the Guardian’s resources at your disposal, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to track him down and make the attempt yourself, rather than encouraging some other well meaning idiot to risk their lives.
olching
25 Jan 2010, 7:51PM
Careful people: Blair threads are notorious for a high attrition rate amongst commenters (see JayReilly).
I support George on this. It is of course merely a token gesture, but it’s important to instigate direct (legal) action, since there is little or no hope that anything will come of these inquiries.
My only concern is that some nutter will assassinate Blair (not a problem) and this will then be turned into ‘the left’s’ fault by the right-wing media (problem).
MacGyver
25 Jan 2010, 7:51PM
Shocking stuff Mr Monbiot. You are encouraging vigilantism and harassment, surely this must be illegal? This is the most irresponsible thing I’ve ever heard of, bearing in mind that Blair travels with armed protection anywhere he goes.
You may end up with blood on your hands.
MacGyver
25 Jan 2010, 7:57PM
Nice touch putting Blair’s schedule on the website. Incredibly sinister.
blacknose
25 Jan 2010, 7:59PM
So…
there’s no court to try him in, the arrests are “symbolic”, but nobody gets the reward until he faces a court of law…
Am I the only one who sees a problem here?
This seems like a call for vigilante action.
TheGreatGigInTheSky
25 Jan 2010, 8:07PM
Great Blog George
Brown handcuffed himself to the Iraq invasion this morning at the press conference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1okQgKLhO3k
He doesn’t seem to realise that is the end of his reputation.
sheffpixie
25 Jan 2010, 8:09PM
Shocking stuff Mr Monbiot. You are encouraging vigilantism and harassment, surely this must be illegal? This is the most irresponsible thing I’ve ever heard of, bearing in mind that Blair travels with armed protection anywhere he goes.
Not shocking at all – he is calling for a citizens arrest that’s all. Which is legal in the UK, or was last time I heard (see link below). And as you must be aware – it’s a symbolic gesture, as we all know full well, there is absolutely no way Blair will ever be indicted.
Citizens arrest
MacGyver
25 Jan 2010, 8:15PM
sheffpixie
25 Jan 2010, 8:09PM
And as you must be aware – it’s a symbolic gesture, as we all know full well, there is absolutely no way Blair will ever be indicted.
Well I’m no legal expert, but in that case, surely Blair will have a case against Monbiot for harassment? On his website it states: “The fund will remain open for as long as Mr Blair lives, or until he is officially prosecuted.”
FeanorLobelia
25 Jan 2010, 8:20PM
MacGyver -
What a depraved post that was. Blair initiates (like the Soviets, like Saddam, like Hitler) a gruesome war of aggression that ends up with a million dead and you’re talking about blood on Monbiot’s hands resulting from an arrest that will likely never happen, much to our discredit?
I would actually like Blair’s blood on my hands, but civilisation intervenes and forces me to demand justice instead. That you weep for his blood and not the blood of a million Iraqis and British serviceman beyond count, that is ‘sinister’.
freewoman -
Terribly misguided. The point of international law is that no state can be trusted to be a responsible actor and that no territorial aggression can be seen as legitimate, altruistic, or beneficial. Once there is a dream actor, maybe Sweden Reloaded, or a strengthened UN, which can be a legitimate and fair body, then maybe you’ll have a point. But don’t tell me that the UK, which supported and funded a fascist covert war in Yemen mass death in East Timor, paramilitary slaughter in Colombia and, of course, Saddam during the period when he was ACTUALLY committing his worse crimes, should be allowed to rampage around the world fighting what are obviously resource wars dressed up as liberal interventions.
Well done George.
Refusenik88
25 Jan 2010, 8:26PM
Leftists want blood and they won’t get it.There is no legal precedent to try blair for “war crimes.” What war crimes legislation does Blair qualify for George?
Say Saddam Hussein had nuclear weapons, would the war still be criminal?
The destruction and death toll itself is not evidence, nor could you ever prove Blair’s complicity in it. Did he design Operation Phantom Fury? Did he order the targeting of specific ethnic groups?
The overwhelmingly majority of people killed in Iraq has been the result of sectarian violence, completely independent of US or British forces.
The only fault you could pin on Blair is the occupation, which created a situation that led to violence.
But really, that’s hardly criminal.
International law is a cold war relic and no longer applies in conflicts that are not conventional.
TwoSwords
25 Jan 2010, 8:27PM
George Monbiot
I’d be interested to know if you can respond to my point on illegality/unlawfulness. This isn’t a simple question.
Here’s a further complication – the “crime” occurred in Iraq not the UK arguably so its out of jurisdiction. And I imagine the current Iraqi government is actually quite happy about the war.
ClimateCommunion
25 Jan 2010, 8:31PM
Instead of arresting Tony Blair, the people decided to vote for his Labour party three times, and reject the arguments, leaders, and philosophies of the anti-war parties. The anti-war parties were nowhere near a victory.
Perhaps you should read that over and over again.
The people voted three times.
The fringe will take this article seriously though, as will extremely impressionable university students. It will also embolden terrorists in the UK.
NIce work.
unreconstructedchap
25 Jan 2010, 8:33PM
“And in lighter news, an unknown but remarkably smug man (believed to write for the guardian newspaper) was was shot this afternoon by the diplomatic protection team of the former prime minister Tony Blair during an attempted assault/\kidnapping….”
CheshireSalt
25 Jan 2010, 8:36PM
Mr Monbiot – go and lie down for half an hour until you are feeling better. As you well know this will lead precisely nowhere. Blair will tell the Inquiry what Campbell told the Inquiry namely that everything was done in the utmost good faith and while with the benefit of hindsight the planning for the aftermath of the invasion could have been better, well stuff happens. And the Inquiry members will nod gravely and say well perhaps cabinet co-ordination could have been better, lessons to be learned here. Now let’s all go home.
International law? No international court would consider for one instant arresting the former head of government of a major democratic nation state and quite rightly so.
lolzorz
25 Jan 2010, 8:38PM
I’ve just checked the whois and remarkably arrestgeorgemonbiot.com is still available.
legalcynic
25 Jan 2010, 8:41PM
I read the part of the site which dealt with the arrest and to be blunt I rather think that you’ve asked Afua to help you.
To put it simply if a police officer is present you cannot make a ‘citizen’s arrest’
24A Arrest without warrant: other persons
(2) Where an indictable offence has been committed, a person other than a constable may arrest without a warrant?
(a) anyone who is guilty of the offence;
(b) anyone whom he has reasonable grounds for suspecting to be guilty of it.
(3) But the power of summary arrest conferred by subsection (1) or (2) is exercisable only if?
(a) the person making the arrest has reasonable grounds for believing that for any of the reasons mentioned in subsection (4) it is necessary to arrest the person in question; and
(b) it appears to the person making the arrest that it is not reasonably practicable for a constable to make it instead.
(4) The reasons are to prevent the person in question?
(a) causing physical injury to himself or any other person;
(b) suffering physical injury;
(c) causing loss of or damage to property; or
(d) making off before a constable can assume responsibility for him.?
So since you’re not going to satisfy any of ss (4) even if a police officer isn’t present it’s never going to be lawful.
It’s the ‘I’m Harriet Harman, you know where to get me principle’ I would dress that up in latin but this is free advice.
VforVintage
25 Jan 2010, 8:43PM
I was hoping George would move on from ‘deniers’. After this article I will remember to be’careful what you wish for’. Apart from its sixth form style, shooting at fish in a barrel is pretty feeble. London is crawling with villains from all over the world who are guilty ( as proven in courts of law ) of murder. Where were you when Pinochet was here? If you encourage people to harass Blair it could lead to someone unhinged going further than your stunt asks for. Could you shrug it off or would you say he ‘deserved’ it ? Some would you know. Your recent articles are becoming shrill and almost desperate and if you are not careful you will rank alongside all those other authors who climb onto the nearest bandwagon of populist causes. If what you claim is true every minister who backed Blair is guilty, the opposition are guilty and in some respects those who voted him in three times also have some ‘blood’ on our hands. To try, as you do, to pin it all on one man and have that man persecuted ( for the sake of good ‘copy’ ) is akin to mob rule. If he has a case to answer, then let the law act, but its not up to people like you to start a witch hunt ( a Blair witch hunt ) over which you have no control.
Monbiot
25 Jan 2010, 8:44PM
Vorlon:
Perhaps in your next article George you can explain why you haven’t tried to arrest the leaders responsible for mass murder in China, Burma, Zimbabwe,and the Balkans to name a few – or why you haven’t tried arresting any americans in office at the time
As a matter of fact, I have.
AdEd
25 Jan 2010, 8:47PM
Today Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as “Chemical Ali”, has been executed by hanging.
Monbiot and those like him would have left him, and the rest of Saddam’s brutal, genocidal crew, in place indefinitely to gas, torture and murder the people of Iraq.
Thankfully Mr Blair had the courage to put a stop to Saddam’s regime.
VforVintage
25 Jan 2010, 8:51PM
It just occurred to me that Blair is followed around by the secret service, no doubt armed. With real threats to Blairs life from Islamists, I think encouraging people to approach Blair to make a citizens arrest is a particularly foolish suggestion to make. Trigger happy police and all that goes with it. I think it would be wise if George took his site down before events get out of hand and for which he will regret.
ChanceyGardener
25 Jan 2010, 8:53PM
Oh dear Oh dear George,
I think those drones will be after you now. Incitement to violence may be the charge – I can see FTAC revving the engine as I type.
But the good news is that the rozzers will have 57 million potential suspects to deal with as they all try to claim their reward.
MacGyver
25 Jan 2010, 8:55PM
Mr Monbiot:
If someone is shot by Blair’s armed protection in the course of attempting to claim the bounty you are offering, what legal sanction, if any, do you believe you should face?
Vorlon
25 Jan 2010, 9:01PM
@George
Perhaps in your next article George you can explain why you haven’t tried to arrest the leaders responsible for mass murder in China, Burma, Zimbabwe,and the Balkans to name a few – or why you haven’t tried arresting any americans in office at the time
As a matter of fact, I have.
Well clearly being British hasn’t kept your attentions confined to UK politicians but come ON George, trying arrest Bolton at dinky little festival in the safe surroundings of the UK knowing perfectly well you’re making a gesture with no possible consequences to yourself.
Not exactly Ghandi is it, just nice safe middle-class liberal grandstanding.
I notice you don’t appear to have tried the same stunt actually IN the other countries I mentioned. (unless I missed it – and I somehow doubt your obvious sense of self-importance would have glossed over being arrested and beaten up in Zimbabwe for instance)
Running a hate campaign on the internet against an ex-prime minister – wow – what courage, what strength of character, what nobility……
George Monbiot – Cyber-Bullying to a Better Tomorrow……….
Scam22
25 Jan 2010, 9:02PM
Let’s not forget. Monbiot is not Che Guevara. He is low life, bought and paid for, corporate scum.
He is being paid for this pathetic self publicising nonsense, just like he was sponsored by Shell Oil to promote global warming crime. An enemy of the people if I ever saw one.
cognitator
25 Jan 2010, 9:07PM
“But to suggest that nothing can be done vis-a-vis Blair because his entourage is armed and dangerous is defeatist nonsense”
You never know, once the ‘justice’ pot reaches 2 or 3 million one of those paid heavies might be tempted to have a pop at arresting the murderer himself.
I’d wager they have consciences too.
scouserlee
25 Jan 2010, 9:08PM
Yet again a foolish and deeply irresponsible article from Monbiot, pursuing his childish obsession with citizen’s arrests. As he knows perfectly well, no such arrest would be legal and would it itself constitute a criminal assault. As per his previous requests, this is presumably why he hasn’t got the guts to do it himself.
For very good reasons, Blair is protected by security personnel who would react with appropriate force to anyone who attempted to attack him in this manner. You are treading a very fine legal thread here yourself.
People should also be sceptical about the perceived merits of a body such as the International Criminal Court. The idea that such a court could ever be free of political influence is fanciful. It sounds good, but than again, so did the UNCHR and look at what a farce that is.
newpassword
25 Jan 2010, 9:12PM
donated
lets get him, up to half a million dead cannot go unpunished
MarkB35
25 Jan 2010, 9:16PM
Blair will never be prosecuted for any ‘war crimes’. Perhaps he should be but the fact is that it will never happen. The idea of a citizens arrest is truly ridiculous. Surely no one would be stupid enough to attempt it and if anyone does I assume George won’t be complaining when Blair’s security people open fire?
NoSurrenderMonkey
25 Jan 2010, 9:32PM
Boring, unjust, third-rate journalism (say something outrageous to get noticed). Illegal as well?
George Monbiot is exhorting members of the public to commit an act of false imprisonment. As such, they would be breaking the law, as he is surely doing in so prompting them.
If I remember right, we are not allowed, on CIF, to call for people to commit acts of violence or generally break the law. Surely these rules must apply to the writers, also? This article must be removed.
Weaselmeister
25 Jan 2010, 9:36PM
Go for it George.
I’m willing to run the risk of you being shot.
(Where’s the eating popcorn smiley)
Dogstarscribe
25 Jan 2010, 9:37PM
I don’t get it George.
You don’t need a website to perform a citizens arrest on Blair. Just do it.
You don’t need to offer a reward. Judging by the bile and vitriol being spewed by some of the posters on here, I’m amazed they haven’t done it already.
So why are you doing it this way George? Is it about international law and justice, as you understand it? Or is it about the promotion of George Monbiot? Are you too busy going to conversational Welsh classes to venture down to London?
It’s not as if Blair leads a secret life. He lives very publicly. Why not go to a magistrates court and try and get an arrest warrant, instead of a website?
At every stage, all I can come back to is that it’s not about law or justice. It’s about George Monbiot, the anti-brand of the radical right.
MorseCode
25 Jan 2010, 9:38PM
George Monbiot
Nobody’s denying that the search for WMDs was a fiasco and that the invasion of Iraq was a disaster but to call Tony Blair a war criminal and the Iraq war an act of mass murder is plain stupid.
Worse than that, it’s sign of moral bankruptcy to even consider the Iraq invasion as morally equivalent to real acts of mass murder such the holocaust, the ethnic cleansing of muslims in the Balkans or the genocide in Rwanda.
However misguided they may have been, Blair and Bush had no intention of causing harm to any Iraqis. Nothing would have pleased them more than to see the Iraqi welcome them with flowers and not having to fire a shot (and I think they were deluded enough to believe this might happen). Clearly they’d be casualties, but they believed the humans costs would be outweighted by the benefits.
Furthermore, their intentions were to rid the world of dangerous WMDs (which most people believed existed at the time) and to create a peaceful democracy in Iraq (which would have allowed them to lift the sanctions as well) Ludicrous? Perhaps, but this has nothing to do with real murderers such as Hitler and Pol Pot whose avowed goal was to exterminate.
By all means let Blair be accountable for his incompetence but to call him a war criminal is absurd.
In any case, parliament voted for the war so we’d have to arrest a majority of MPs as well. The whole thing is ridiculous.
diabur
25 Jan 2010, 9:51PM
This kind of charged discussion and assertion based on indulgent self-righteousness not backed by real evidence, is, sooner or later, going to lead to someone trying to assassinate Tony Blair, and it will be because the media cares more about creating an atmosphere of anger and fury than truth and reality.
NoSurrenderMonkey
25 Jan 2010, 10:03PM
The war in Iraq was both completely necessary and also successful, despite the pointless Sunni vesus Shiite slaughter in previous years. Iraq may now increase oil production to 12 million bpd by 2015, postponing peak oil by up to a decade and giving the world a chance to prepare and avoid devasting economic collapse and unimaginable socio-economic hardship. See the Hirsch report. This could not have happened under Saddam once he had invaded Kuwait. He showed himself as threat to the world’s life-support system; the oil fields of the Middle East. Having been cleared out of Kuwait and hemmed in, he was unlikely to be any better disposed to the West or Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. There was no option but to remove him, though the matter can’t be openly spoken of in those terms.
Western governments are unwilling to discuss or acknowledge the role of fundamentals like energy supply in the formulation of international policy, yet any fool can see what has happened. George Bush and Tony Blair did the right thing in all our interests. History will look kindly on them. There is no international legal framework in which they can be judged.
MorseCode
25 Jan 2010, 10:11PM
AnotherBloke
If he wanted to take the nation to war because Saddam was a rotter, he should have said so, and listened to the wishes of the people.
If you justify well-intentioned lying, you open the door to all kinds of madness. Checks and balances go out of the window, and a lunatic who thinks he has a direct line to God can bring catastrophe on the nation (and the world).
Excellent point and I agree with you. I’m not here to defend Blair mindlessly. A enquiry is underway and if it transpires that Blair knowingly misled the nation regarding the existence of WMDs, then let him be accountable. But he’s no war criminal or mass murderer. To call him that cheapens those crimes.
Let’s put it this way, if Blair is a war criminal then so is Truman, JFK, Nixon, De Gaulle…
politiko
25 Jan 2010, 10:11PM
I’m quite happy to believe and accept that Hitler sat around gleefully counting how many millions of Jews he’d exterminated. I’m sure Pol Pot used to whoop with joy at the deaths he’d caused. Likewise Mugabe. Likewise Stalin of his political opponents. Milosovich too, thinking about the Kosovo Albanians. Even Sadaam Hussein, gassing or torturing various unwanted sections of his population. I really can imagine them thinking ‘Tee hee hee, how many more can I kill?’
And Monbiot, and most of you people, want me to lump Tony Blair in with these people. You say they’re equivalent. That Blair’s no better. And his ‘crime’ is as bad. That he somehow is personally responsible for the deaths of millions of people.
I say you’ve completely lost the plot. Blair can go to the Hague the day you all go to a lunatic asylum. Utterly utterly insane…
jonnnieb
25 Jan 2010, 10:12PM
What a prat you are George – thank goodness I dont pay to read this sort of smug rubbish.
MrJohnWhite
25 Jan 2010, 10:13PM
George Monbiot, did you try to arrest Blair over the Kosovo war which had no UN mandate?
Very bad luck today that a real war criminal has been hanged in Baghdad. Bad luck old boy.
politiko
25 Jan 2010, 10:20PM -
And, frankly, if someone does try this ridiculous stunt and ends up getting shot by security, Monbiot will be a million times more responsible for their death than Tony Blair is for David Kelly’s.
LiberalManiac
26 Jan 2010, 7:34AM
Good article George, shame he hasn’t been tried sooner.
Although why do people keep screaming ‘vigilante justice’? It’s not that. George isn’t encouraging people to bring back his head on a piece of rusty iron, just to perform a citizens’ arrest. Which is a perfectly legal act.
MrJohnWhite
26 Jan 2010, 2:24AM
The fund will remain open for as long as Mr Blair lives, or until he is officially prosecuted. If it still contains money after his death or prosecution,…
[Emphasis mine]
–I am speechless. Why is this not incitement to violence and why is the Guardian giving tacit support to such an illegal act? George, what would happen if some crazy person takes it into his head to kill Tony Blair and cite your website as the impetus for his action? Not only that, he also claims the “bounty” as his reward. I hope that if such a thing happens that you will be charged with complicity in the commission in a crime. You will probably say that you only called for his arrest but you wouldn’t get out of it so easily.
The supreme irony would be that you would be in the same boat as Tony Blair–being found guilty (though he would not have had a trial) of a crime that you did not personally commit.
BTW, you may have had a case if the majority of deaths in Iraq weren’t caused by other Muslims. Anyone to be prosecuted for the thousands killed in mosques, at the marketplace or for forcing Down syndrome kids and other innocents to strap bombs to their bodies and blow themselves up?
lierbag
26 Jan 2010, 9:37AM
Visited http://www.arrestblair.org/ site with eager anticipation.
Scrolled down Blair’s itinerary.
Saw no sign of ‘grassy knoll’ in vicinity of any location.
Logged off – hugely disappointed.
OneManIsAnIsland
26 Jan 2010, 9:40AM
whatisquicksand
26 Jan 2010, 9:41AM
I have always found it interesting that those people, like George, who are insistent that this was an illegal war and profess a desire for peace are often the most vitriolic in their hatred of others. I’m afraid after his discredited shambles of an article about Copenhagen some time back nothing that this man writes can have any credence whatsoever. Send your tenner to the people of Haiti rather than following this peddler of hatred.
JahWibble
26 Jan 2010, 9:43AM
I’m going to start a website calling for George Moonbat to be arrested and detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act. This is perhaps the worst case of De-Clerambault’s-Syndrome we’ve seen in many a moon – sufferers do not usually call on others to join them in their stalking of the object of their obsessive devotion.
NIG123
26 Jan 2010, 9:44AM
George better to have left a dictator alone than to intervene? Better to have him kill, oppress and torture, Better to leave him alone to destabilise the region, even if we can take him out. Better to go through the UN that stood by in Rwanda as 800.000 people were slaughtered, a UN that is incapable of en forcing the its own resolutions a UN that relies on the USA and UK to finance it. Maybe we can find a new dictator to replace Saddam and all will be right with the world once again. we live in an imperfect world, do we not?
sayonara9
26 Jan 2010, 10:31AM
This article has nothing to do with Blair or his guilt. He will not be arrested. What might happen is that some brainless twit will take up Monbiot’s offer and possibly be badly injured. Worse, he might do it purely for money.
Not that I would believe that guilt is part of the emotional lexicon of anyone behind this charade. That is Guardian management and lawyers.
ARREST MONBIOT NOW
Michael White’s question: Is it fair to blame Blair and Bush for continued violence in Iraq?
His commenters answers: But of of course. (Well, at least he has published my comment there, pasted here in case!)
No point reasoning with the unreasonable, Michael. They are the “WE ALL KNOWERS”.
I expect most of them have sent their tenners to Monbiot in his attempt to (get someone else to) SORT OUT Mr Blair. Or what was it again? Oh, yes.
Arrest. But of course.
Tags: arrest Blair, arrest George Monbiot, bounties, bounty on Blair, George Monbiot, incitement to violence murder, Tony Blair
January 30, 2010 at 12:55 pm |
Isn’t it strange that the only actual death threat inspired by Monbiot’s piece should be posted directly on your site? Gosh,it’s almost as though it had been faked by someone, so convenient is it’s appearance. And as for that other sock-puppet GoodOleAmerican, what kind of service does he have in mind? I haven’t been an MP like Blair but I used to be a civil servant (helping Mrs Thatcher cut public spending in fact).
January 30, 2010 at 1:24 pm |
Rob, how do you KNOW that this is the only death threat inspired by Monbiot? Have you checked? I haven’t. But I could if I had time, and I am reasonably sure I could find more, if I was so minded. Someone sent this threat in uninvited. Since you are suspicious of this comment, why don’t you ask Jason Miles if someone put him up to this? Perhaps he’ll come back here and tell us all.
I think Little Ole American was speaking about military service, btw. Interesting that you were in the civil service in Mrs Thatcher’s time. I am sure many are happy to understand a little about your background in helping her “cut public spending”.
January 31, 2010 at 3:14 am |
[...] The ranters outside were still ranting, and the British bobbies still being polite as ever. The anti-war coalition were megaphoning their repeated noises about Blair having got to the venue before them and about his being “afraid to face” them. Presumably he was worried that the hordes of armed and unarmed police would have been too few to stop such as the woman who naïvely hoped to arrest him, egged on no doubt by the irresponsible call of one George Monbiot. [...]
February 2, 2010 at 2:40 pm |
[...] my earlier call to arrest Monbiot here.] Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives at home in London, after his long-awaited [...]
February 7, 2010 at 2:01 pm |
The people who try to twist Mr Monbiot’s words into an incitement to inflict violence on or kill Tony Blair are pretty dim. Monbiot tells people how to go about making what amounts to a harmless protest on his website. He even points out that it should be done very gently. The reference to the death of tony Blair has been very childishly taken out of context in a blatantly obvious way by the Monbiot haters. They need to grow up. He is simply stating what will happen to the accrued fund in the event that , as people all eventually do, Mr Blair dies. He does have a dicky heart after all.
Those people were not only conned by Blair’s lies, they rejoice in the happening of it. Like a little bunch of Demons prostrating themselves before the Devil and screeching at the people who try to tell them who he is.
February 7, 2010 at 4:16 pm |
Ross Kelly.
You said -
You mean like those who often write at the Guardian CIf pages that hanging is too good for Blair? Those dim people?
The malleable, suggestive types? Those who feel that there is a New World Order out to get the rest of us or an international secret society running things? Those who will see it as “proof” of that if Blair is not charged with something serious after the Iraq Inquiry? Those who are convinced, via the internet, that Blair killed David Kelly, did 7/7 all on his little ownsome and knew all about ‘Bush’s set-up’ of 9/11?
You mean THOSE dim people?
The ones who will read betwen the lines of Monbiot’s “until he dies”? The between-the-lines readers?
As for the “dicky heart” reference – WHY? Why do you mention this? Is it to encourage people to arrest (attack) Blair in order to put him into some sort of panic state, just to help this heart-stopping moment along?
You and your ilk are dangerous. Worse than that you don’t even realise it.
It is contemptible, despicable that Monbiot et al think they have the right to pursue a democratically elected poltician, who is now out of office – UNTIL HE DIES – decades on, presumably. Monbiot and the rest of you do NOT speak for the Iraqi people, dead or alive.
Go to hell, where you belong.
February 12, 2010 at 11:10 am |
Biased Lunacy And Insane Ranting.
February 12, 2010 at 11:27 am |
Mr Kelly,
Glad to see you agree with me.
Btw, I won’t be returning to your FB page. You (and Mr Monbiot) really need to see a specialist.
March 25, 2010 at 12:55 am |
[...] I copied and pasted it here into my site when I called for the arrest of Monbiot for incitement to murder Mr Blair. [...]
April 21, 2010 at 6:09 pm |
[...] Iraq, I have a suggestion. Before we peace ‘n’ loving ‘caring’ citizens arrest and charge the guy, then drag him to The Hague, after which formalities we’ll hang him or show some compassion [...]