Syria gas attack must not go unpunished, says Boris Johnson

standard.co.uk ^ | September 02, 2013 | Nicholas Cecil

[Tailgunner Joe]

The chemical weapons attack blamed on Bashar Assad’s regime must not go “unpunished”, Boris Johnson warned today.

The Mayor of London also piled pressure on David Cameron to hold a second Commons vote to allow Britain to join military action against Assad’s forces.

Just weeks ago, Mr Johnson told of his “deep anxieties” about the UK getting involved in the Syrian civil war in which at least 100,000 people have died.

However, he said today: “But to use gas for mass murder is a crime that we cannot allow to go unpunished.”

Writing in his Daily Telegraph column, the Mayor added: “It seems overwhelmingly likely that the forces of the Syrian regime have indeed used chemical weapons and killed hundreds of civilians in an act of utter savagery.”

Mr Johnson believes evidence against Assad’s forces may harden and a second Commons vote is “perfectly possible”, despite the dangers to Mr Cameron’s leadership if he lost.

The Mayor spoke out as Barack Obama stepped up his campaign to persuade Congress to support missile strikes on the Syrian regime for crossing his “red line” with the suspected chemical weapons attack last month.

If Mr Obama wins over a sceptical Congress next week, Mr Cameron will face renewed calls for parliament to reconsider its view, a move already suggested by former Tory leader Lord Howard, former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown and ex-foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind.

But deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg stressed: “I can’t foresee any circumstances that we would go back to Parliament on the same question.”

Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt appeared to leave slightly more possibility of a second vote, saying: “You can never say never to anything, if circumstances are different who knows?”

Washington says Sarin gas was used in the attack on the outskirts of the capital Damascus which killed at least 1,429 civilians, including more than 400 children. British spy chiefs have been more cautious over the death toll, saying it is at least 350, and that it is “highly likely” that the regime carried out the attack.

Mr Obama’s decision to seek Congress backing caught the world by surprise and French president Francois Hollande is facing pressure to follow suit.

[Nifster]

Oh well then I guess that settles it. After all Boris is so very very important

[FreedomStar3028]

I want proof. Undeniable proof. Where is it?

All I hear is “we have proof”. Well show the American public please. Bush had to do a lot more convincing then this, and Americans wanted blood then.

[dfwgator]

Well la dee freakin da.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Is this that idot Brit who was a chum of Saddam Hussein?

[wideawake]

One out of seven Britons lives in the city he runs.

One in five work there.

[Hardraade]

Never mind law and democratic process and all that jazz.

The Mob has spoken.

[CitizenUSA]

Why do I get the feeling that America is being set up? Why are so many peace loving leftists suddenly hawks? Strange. Very strange.

[wideawake]

No, you’re completely wrong.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Polls show that Boris will likely be the next leader of the Tory party.

[Tailgunner Joe]

You mean George Galloway? No, he blamed the chemical attack on Israel.

[SpaceBar]

The drums of foreign intervention are sounding like the car sound system of your local gang-banger. The arms merchants and speculators of bloody internicine conflicts must feed.

[dfwgator]

I’d rather listen to this guy’s views....

This Brit makes much more sense...

Nigel Farage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ayIPvUMvYw

[Nifster]

Figures. The UK has become the latest outpost of Islam

[Tailgunner Joe]

The leftist UK Labour Party voted against bombing Syria.

[Paulie]

Fine Boris. Then go get your AK whatever, hop a flight to Damascus and have at it.

[yldstrk]

fock off boris

[Tailgunner Joe]

Funny, seems like Boris was pretty popular around here when all anybody knew about him was he’s a Russian. Go figure.

[Darksheare]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3060716/posts

Zero’s “proof”.
Funny their love affair with that site..

[ConorMacNessa]

In war, thousands of people are often killed in a single event - a ship is sunk, a city is carpet-bombed, or an atomic bomb is dropped. As reprehensible as it is, is use of poison gas any worse than the use of nuclear weapons? Is it any worse than lining a group of people in front of a wall or mass grave and machine-gunning them?

Why is it that some focus upon the instrumentality used rather than upon the perpetrator of the act?

Would the outrage of this administration be as strident if Assad's troops were going village to village and decimating the residents as Hitler did at Lidice?

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)