Anti-war movement condemned for not backing the Iraqi resistance.
London, UK – 12 March 2003
The British Prime Minister’s car was ambushed and halted in central London in a plea to “Arm the Kurds” to empower them to overthrow President Saddam Hussein.
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell ran in front of Tony Blair’s limousine as he arrived at the Royal Academy in Piccadilly to meet the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, forcing the limousine to brake and halt in the street.
Standing in front of the Prime Minister’s stalled vehicle, Mr Tatchell held a placard, clearly visible by Mr Blair, which read: “Arm The Kurds! Topple Saddam”.
The protest took place on Wednesday 12 March 2003 at 5.40pm.
“My protest was to highlight the way Tony Blair is dragging our country to war without any parliamentary or public debate on the alternative option of arming the Kurds and Shias to enable them to overthrow the Butcher of Baghdad”, said Mr Tatchell.
The ambush was a major breach of Prime Ministerial security, especially since it took Special Branch, Prime Ministerial Protection Squad and uniformed police officers some time to remove Mr Tatchell from the path of Tony Blair’s car. During the melee, the front number plate on the Prime Minister’s limousine was damaged and left hanging by a single screw.
Mr Tatchell was arrested at 5.45pm on a charge of “breach of the peace” and taken to West End Central police station where, at 7.05pm, he was further arrested on “suspicion of causing criminal damage to the Prime Minister’s car”. He was released at 00.15 hours on Thursday 13 March, after spending six and a half hours in police detention.
Mr Tatchell is bailed to return to West End Central police station at 11.30am on Thursday 3 April, when he will advised whether charges will be pressed.
Commenting on the reasons for his protest, Mr Tatchell said:
“Why aren’t we arming the Kurds and Shias? They want to depose the dictatorship in Baghdad and are desperate for weapons. The West armed Saddam. It is now time we armed the Iraqi resistance. They want to liberate their country. Instead of invading Iraq and imposing a US-backed puppet regime, we should help the Iraqis free themselves”.
“With military help, like the Russians and Chinese gave the people of Vietnam, the Iraqi opposition can defeat Saddam’s army”.
Although an opponent of an American and British attack on Iraq, Mr Tatchell criticised the anti-war movement for “failing to speak out loudly against Saddam’s human rights abuses and offering no alternative strategy to end the tyranny in Baghdad”.
“The Left’s do-nothing, oppositionist stance borders on appeasement. It colludes with Saddam’s oppression, and is a shameful betrayal of Iraqis struggling for democracy and human rights”, said Mr Tatchell.
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Independent film maker, Tom de Keyser, 07734 460 032