Posted on 05/28/2008 12:46:08 PM PDT by mojito
John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, has escaped an attempted citizen's arrest as he appeared at the Hay Festival.
The former ambassador - a key advisor to President George W Bush who argued strongly in favour of invading Iraq - had been giving a talk on international relations to more than 600 people at the literary festival.
Mr Monbiot was blocked by two heavily-built security guards at the end of the one-and-a-half hour appearance, before he could serve a "charge sheet" on him.
After being released by the guards the columnist - a fierce critic of the 2003 American-led invasion - made a dash through the rain-soaked tented village in a failed attempt to catch up with Mr Bolton.
A crowd of about 20 protestors, one dressed in a latex George Bush mask, chanted "war criminal" as Mr Bolton was ushered away.
Mr Monbiot said moments later he was "disappointed" that he had been blocked from making the citizen's arrest.
"This was a serious attempt to bring one of the perpetrators of the Iraq war to justice, for what is described under the Nuremberg Principles as an international crime," he said.
During Mr Bolton's talk, to a packed-out audience, Mr Monbiot had asked Mr Bolton what difference there was between him and a Nazi war criminal.
Mr Bolton said the war was legal, partly because Iraq had failed to comply with a key and binding UN resolution after the end of the Gulf War in 1991.
On the war's legality, he added: "This is not my personal opinion, this is the opinion of the entire legal apparatus of the US government."
A citizen's arrest can be carried out under certain circumstances by a member of the public, if they believe a person had carried out a crime, under the Serious and Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
Earlier, festival director Peter Florence had said they had sought legal advice and been told carrying out such an arrest would be "completely unlawful" given the circumstances.
He said: ""The Hay Festival encourages visitors to voice their opinions, but also requires that, in their expression, they respect both the law and the speaker."
A spokesman for The Guardian, for which Mr Monbiot writes a regular column, said he was acting in a "personal capacity".
I think we FReepers do have the idea down. It is the other 99.5% of the unknowing, wanting mine free, I love my MTV, ESPN Sports Center watchers, free beer night, all you can eat after 5 p.m. gangs that need to get a grip and come to see the light of just exactly what is going to happen to them. What will happen is the liberals will change all the laws, then you are arrested and charged and go to jail, and everyone else just thinks you broke the law. It will not come to affect them till those stupids get arrested and go to jail. I am sick of the crap these ass holes are putting on us. We have lost more freedoms than we have left. This is no longer Land of the Free. Freedom is gone in America. Liberals steal and rape their way across our personal freedoms every day. If Obama wins and with a Marxist controlled Congress you can kiss your ass goodbye, because you will not recognize this country in four years. In four years, they will slash every freedom they can, max gun control, max homo crap, max taxes, max freedoms gone. COUNT on it. Take it to the BANK. Those who deny, oh that is not going to happen are just like the stupids of Germany when Hitler's gang came to power. They thought it all for the best for Germany also. The stupids in America are thinking Comrade Obama is going to take care of them to the grave. Right. Keep thinking that as your life and freedom are ripped away from you.
I have no idea. :-)
Is that before or after we are over- run with untold millions of newly legal illegals? There won’t be any money for triggers after that and the concessions to the EU and Al Gore. I am a vet, made it through clinton, twice.
John McCain and the words “grace and civility” in the same sentence. This has to be the silly season.
If he has any colleagues reading this board, I’m sure they got a kick out of that one.
So tell me about how your man Obama is going to be better about illegal immigration? Don’t think so.
Hard to do when you're a couple of hundred pound overweight.
Not voting is going to show those Republicans and that horrible John McCain that we demand the perfect conservative candidate. The perfect conservative candidate is out there!!!
I get aggravated thinking about what non-sense Osama-Obama is going to pull during 4 years.
I’m going to hold all those refusing to vote for McCain because he isn’t conservative enough in the same regards as the clowns actually voting for Obama.
****I get aggravated thinking about what non-sense Osama-Obama is going to pull during 4 years.***
As I understand it - there are those who believe there is no difference between McCain’s & Obama’s policies. It follows therefore, that all the resulting damage would be better blamed on a Dem Potus than a GOP Potus.
The damage, one can only hope, will be easily repaired by the next GOP Potus and Congress - who will win (by a landslide) in 2012.
During the period 2009 to 2013 we are expected to hoard food, fuel and firearms - just in case things don’t work out as anticipated.....and we should remember THEY NEVER DO!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.