Former Prime Minister Tony Blair speaking at an event in 2012. (Photo: Chatham House/flickr/cc)
Aug 05, 2015
Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn, a left-wing MP who's leading the polls, said that former Prime Minister Tony Blair could possibly face war crimes for his involvement in the Iraq war.
The long-time MP, whom the Guardian's Ewen MacAskill characterized as "the anti-austerity candidate, in tune with similar movements in Greece and elsewhere in Europe," made the comments Tuesday In an interview with BBC2's Newsnight.
"I think there are some decisions that Tony Blair has got to confess or tell us what actually happened in Crawford, Texas in 2002 in his private meetings with George Bush," Corbyn told interviewer Emily Maitlis.
He said that the still unreleased Chilcot Inquiry, an official investigation into Britain's role in the Iraq war, is going to come out, and "Tony Blair and the others that have made the decisions are then going to have to deal with the consequences of it."
Asked by Maitlis, "So should [Blair] be tried for war crimes?" Corbyn said, "If he's committed a war crime, yes. Everyone who's committed a war crime should."
"I think it was illegal war," he continued. "I'm confident about that. Indeed, [then-UN Secretary General] Kofi Annan confirmed it was an illegal war, and therefore he has to explain to that. Is he going to be tried for it? I don't know. Could he be tried for it? Possibly."
Pressed if he would like to see Blair tried, he said, "I want to see all those that committed war crimes tried for it [and] those that made the decisions that went with it."
As Common Dreams reported last month,
Veteran UK politician Jeremy Corbyn, a 66-year-old left-winger whose stances against austerity, nuclear weapons, and war have been described as "uncompromising," is gathering steam ahead of upcoming Labour party leadership elections, according to new polling released this week.
A YouGov poll for the London Times suggests that in the final round of voting, the socialist Islington North MP would finish six points ahead of previous frontrunner Andy Burnham. The poll shows Corbyn as the first preference for 43 percent of party supporters.
Corbyn's campaign, unlike those of his rivals, has been reliant on small donations.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn, a left-wing MP who's leading the polls, said that former Prime Minister Tony Blair could possibly face war crimes for his involvement in the Iraq war.
The long-time MP, whom the Guardian's Ewen MacAskill characterized as "the anti-austerity candidate, in tune with similar movements in Greece and elsewhere in Europe," made the comments Tuesday In an interview with BBC2's Newsnight.
"I think there are some decisions that Tony Blair has got to confess or tell us what actually happened in Crawford, Texas in 2002 in his private meetings with George Bush," Corbyn told interviewer Emily Maitlis.
He said that the still unreleased Chilcot Inquiry, an official investigation into Britain's role in the Iraq war, is going to come out, and "Tony Blair and the others that have made the decisions are then going to have to deal with the consequences of it."
Asked by Maitlis, "So should [Blair] be tried for war crimes?" Corbyn said, "If he's committed a war crime, yes. Everyone who's committed a war crime should."
"I think it was illegal war," he continued. "I'm confident about that. Indeed, [then-UN Secretary General] Kofi Annan confirmed it was an illegal war, and therefore he has to explain to that. Is he going to be tried for it? I don't know. Could he be tried for it? Possibly."
Pressed if he would like to see Blair tried, he said, "I want to see all those that committed war crimes tried for it [and] those that made the decisions that went with it."
As Common Dreams reported last month,
Veteran UK politician Jeremy Corbyn, a 66-year-old left-winger whose stances against austerity, nuclear weapons, and war have been described as "uncompromising," is gathering steam ahead of upcoming Labour party leadership elections, according to new polling released this week.
A YouGov poll for the London Times suggests that in the final round of voting, the socialist Islington North MP would finish six points ahead of previous frontrunner Andy Burnham. The poll shows Corbyn as the first preference for 43 percent of party supporters.
Corbyn's campaign, unlike those of his rivals, has been reliant on small donations.
Labour leadership hopeful Jeremy Corbyn, a left-wing MP who's leading the polls, said that former Prime Minister Tony Blair could possibly face war crimes for his involvement in the Iraq war.
The long-time MP, whom the Guardian's Ewen MacAskill characterized as "the anti-austerity candidate, in tune with similar movements in Greece and elsewhere in Europe," made the comments Tuesday In an interview with BBC2's Newsnight.
"I think there are some decisions that Tony Blair has got to confess or tell us what actually happened in Crawford, Texas in 2002 in his private meetings with George Bush," Corbyn told interviewer Emily Maitlis.
He said that the still unreleased Chilcot Inquiry, an official investigation into Britain's role in the Iraq war, is going to come out, and "Tony Blair and the others that have made the decisions are then going to have to deal with the consequences of it."
Asked by Maitlis, "So should [Blair] be tried for war crimes?" Corbyn said, "If he's committed a war crime, yes. Everyone who's committed a war crime should."
"I think it was illegal war," he continued. "I'm confident about that. Indeed, [then-UN Secretary General] Kofi Annan confirmed it was an illegal war, and therefore he has to explain to that. Is he going to be tried for it? I don't know. Could he be tried for it? Possibly."
Pressed if he would like to see Blair tried, he said, "I want to see all those that committed war crimes tried for it [and] those that made the decisions that went with it."
As Common Dreams reported last month,
Veteran UK politician Jeremy Corbyn, a 66-year-old left-winger whose stances against austerity, nuclear weapons, and war have been described as "uncompromising," is gathering steam ahead of upcoming Labour party leadership elections, according to new polling released this week.
A YouGov poll for the London Times suggests that in the final round of voting, the socialist Islington North MP would finish six points ahead of previous frontrunner Andy Burnham. The poll shows Corbyn as the first preference for 43 percent of party supporters.
Corbyn's campaign, unlike those of his rivals, has been reliant on small donations.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.