Posted on 11/11/2003 5:12:40 PM PST by blam
Blair faces Bush security crisis as Livingstone hosts anti-war party
By Toby Helm, Chief Political Correspondent and Chris Boffey
(Filed: 12/11/2003)
Tony Blair was struggling last night to prevent anti-war protesters from causing a full-scale security crisis during President George Bush's state visit to London next week.
Those opposed to the war in Iraq have been urged to breach security at Buckingham Palace during the president's three-day stay, during which he will be the guest of the Queen.
Separately, the Stop The War Coalition, which is organising a series of protests, said that, despite police plans to set up an exclusion zone, it would demand the right to march down Whitehall.
The demonstration on Thursday of next week, after Mr Bush has laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown warrior in Westminster, is expected to attract at least 100,000 people.
The coalition, which is working with CND and the Muslim Association of Britain, said it had heard from police officers that the decision to close parts of London followed calls from the White House for the protesters to be kept away from Mr Bush.
Yesterday Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, encouraged the anti-war protests by saying he had arranged a Peace Reception for prominent opponents of the war and subsequent "occupation" of Iraq, next Wednesday midway through the president's stay.
His anti-war party, costing £8,000 of taxpayers' money, has caused consternation at Downing Street.
It has infuriated Mr Blair who has been busy trying to lure the Left-wing Mayor of London - expelled from the Labour Party three years ago for standing as an independent in the mayoral race - back into the Labour fold in a gesture of conciliation to the Left.
An upbeat and unapologetic Mr Livingstone said yesterday that the event would bring prominent peace-minded people together and serve as a powerful anti-war "statement".
"I'm confining myself to putting on here a reception for those people who take an alternative view, representatives of the peace movement, Muslim organisations and Americans who disagree with George Bush's policies so that they can mingle amongst themselves and make a statement."
In a call for "mass non-violent disobedience", a collection of anti-capitalists and groups against the Iraq war have called for demonstrators to scale the walls of the palace when the president arrives in Britain next Wednesday.
Non-violence is described on the protesters' website "as action which does not harm or degrade any human being". No mention is made of the confrontation with police that would inevitably follow any illegal breach of Buckingham Palace security.
Speaking to journalists at Downing Street after talks with the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, Mr Blair defended the right to protest but said people should recognise the value of Britain's "special relationship" with Washington.
"The great thing about living in a democracy is that people are free to express their view," Mr Blair said. "But I think we in this country should be proud of our alliance with America.
"I think we should be proud of the fact that in the last few years a country like Afghanistan has been rid of the Taliban, that Iraq no longer suffers under the lash of Saddam and his sons."
That cuts no ice with these protestors. Afghanis and Iraqis aren't on their radar screen.
Their sole motivation is anti-capitalist anti-Americanism.
Let's hope that security is smart enough to have, and use, loaded weapons.
Too bad for American their mothers were not as liberal as their offspring turned out. ...know what I mean?
Over paid
Over sexed and
Over here
LOL
"I'm confining myself to putting on here a reception for those people who take an alternative view, representatives of the peace movement, Muslim organisations and Americans who disagree with George Bush's policies so that they can mingle amongst themselves and make a statement."
Champion of the "little people," I see.
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