Solidarity with David Lawley-Wakelin - ‘Why it is Tony Blair and not me who should be in the dock’

David Lawley-Wakelin has been charged under the public order act 1986 for using threatening abusive or insulting words or behavior that may have caused someone harassment, alarm or distress.

Wrong Man in the Dock protest
Friday 16 November 9am
Highgate Court House, Bishops Road
London N6 4HS Map…

On 27 May 2012, anti-war protester David Lawley-Wakelin interrupted Tony Blair, as he was giving evidence at Leveson Inquiry into the British press and the phone-hacking scandal, shouting, “Excuse me, this man should be arrested for war crimes.” Lord Leveson duly apologised to the war criminal and truth-teller Lawley-Wakelin was taken away by the police.

He has now been charged under the Public Order Act 1986 for using threatening abusive or insulting words or behavior that may have caused someone harassment alarm or distress.

Unlike Tony Blair, who has not been charged with anything, despite conspiring with George W Bush in waging an illegal war against Iraq, which killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, drove four million from their homes, and devastated the country.

Instead of being held to account for his lies to parliament and the British public, Blair has been free to accumulate huge wealth — estimated at over £60 million — often by exploiting the contacts he made in the war on Iraq.

David Lawley-Wakelin will appear in court on 16 November.

Why it is Tony Blair and not me who should be in the dock

By David Lawley-Wakelin

My Mother and Father fought for this country in the 2nd world war seeing off the imperialist evil that was Hitler and the Nazis. My father was in the Normandy landings whilst my mother witnessed the blitz finding herself evacuated from her home.

When I was just three months old they adopted me bringing me up in a very stable loving home. After all they did for me and being a British citizen of this country my conscience will not just allow me to stand by whilst our nation’s good name has been criminally disgraced.

As a nation we are being asked to turn a blind eye to what millions of us believe: that former prime minister Tony Blair, in a conspiracy with George W Bush, deceived us into a corrupt and illegal Iraq war that took the lives of over half a million people. Since he left office he has has accumulated tune over £60 million on the back of his lies.

Ministers may well be dishonest about their expense claims, they may well be dishonest about their dealings with the press, but if there is one thing a Prime minister must be absolutely honest about then surely its his country’s decision to go to war, as that is obviously the one decision that might just involve the loss of somebody else’s life.

The lies that Blair told have been highlighted time an time again. In his dodgy dossier, Blair said it was beyond doubt that Saddam Hussein had WMD which could be ready within 45 minutes. There was no evidence for this claim.

Alistair Campbell persistently denied that the dodgy dossier was ‘sexed up’, when he had in fact demanded fifteen changes to one draft,

The intelligence services were telling Blair that the intelligence on Saddam’s weapons was ‘ limited’, yet two weeks later he was telling the House of Commons that it was ‘extensive detailed and authoritative’.

Why did Blair not accept the original advice of the then Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, that the war was illegal? Major Tim Cross and Claire Short had told Blair that the plans for post war Iraq were inadequate and that the war should be delayed. Blair ignored them.

Knowing that Iraq was crippled from 10 years of sanctions, George W Bush and Tony Blair believed the war would be over in months. No one would then care or notice, five years later, the business deals that were to follow. Blair predicted that after he left office it would all be old news, swept under the carpet. However just six months after he left office, and while the war was still raging with hundreds of lives being lost every week, he was already starting to sign deals.

The world is now perilously close to another war in the Middle East. I believe if we could bring Bush and Blair to trial for their war crimes, there will be an enormous shake up in the world which could prevent future imperialist wars.

The Public Order Act 1986 — under which I have been charged with causing “distress” to the war criminal Blair — states that in my defense I need to demonstrate that my conduct was reasonable. I will of course be pleading not guilty, which will enable me to make a statement and call witnesses. I am asking anyone who attended the Levison Inquiry when I made my protest, and is prepared to be called as a witness in my defence, to call me on 07976 281 311 or email davidlawleyw@gmail.com

When I appear in court on Friday 16 November, please come and support me, if you can — from the public gallery or outside as part of the Wrong man in the Dock protest, 9am, Highgate Court House, Bishops Road, London N6 4HS.

http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/why-it-is-tony-blair-and-not-me-who-should-be-in-the-dock