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MP may be tried as traitor (Galloway)
The Observer (U.K.) ^ | 04/27/03 | Antony Barnett and Martin Bright

Posted on 04/26/2003 4:54:01 PM PDT by Pokey78

George Galloway, the anti-war Labour MP who is suing over allegations he secretly took money from Saddam Hussein, faces the prospect of a criminal prosecution for treachery. The Observer can reveal that the Director of Public Prosecutions is considering pursuing the Glasgow politician for comments during the Iraq war when he called on British troops not to fight.

In an interview with Abu Dhabi TV during the Iraq conflict, Galloway said: 'The best thing British troops can do is to refuse to obey illegal orders.' Lawyers for service personnel claim his call for soldiers to dis obey what he called 'illegal orders' amount to a breach of the Incitement to Disaffection Act 1934. The maximum penalty is two years in jail.

The relevant part of the Act is Section 1, which states: 'If any person maliciously and advisedly endeavours to seduce any member of His Majesty's forces from his duty or allegiance to His Majesty, he shall be guilty of an offence.' Under the terms of the Act, the word 'maliciously' means wilfully and intentionally.

Galloway dismissed attempts to prosecute him, but said: 'I hope to have chiselled on my gravestone: "He incited them to disaffect."'

The lawyer spearheading the action is Justin Hugheston-Roberts, chairman of Forces Law, a nationwide group of 22 law firms which acts for service personnel and their families.

The case is being handled by Hugheston-Roberts's law firm in Wolverhampton, Rose Williams and Partners.

The last time a prosecution was brought under this law was in 1974, when a protester was charged after distributing leaflets outside Army camps urging soldiers not to accept postings to Northern Ireland.

Galloway's calls for British troops to disobey orders came during the TV interview in which he described Tony Blair and George Bush as 'wolves' for embarking on military action.

When accused of treachery, Galloway said: 'The people who have betrayed this country are those who have sold it to a foreign power and who have been the miserable surrogates of a bigger power for reasons very few people in Britain can understand.'

After Galloway made the comments on Abu Dhabi TV, Hugheston-Roberts wrote to the DPP asking him to prosecute or allow a private prosecution to be brought.

Last week the Crown Prosecution Service wrote to the lawyers requesting more information and details of the comments Galloway made.

Hugheston-Roberts has refused to reveal the identity of his clients, but said they were meeting this week to decide on the best course of action.

Hugheston-Roberts said if the CPS decided not to prosecute but gave consent for a private action, then his clients would be happy to pursue that avenue.

Human rights lawyers said last night it would be an extremely difficult case to pursue. Roger Bingham of the civil rights group Liberty said: 'Galloway's statement is an expression of opinion. We live in a free-speech, democratic society and elect MPs to speak out on national issues.'

Andrew Burgin, of the Stop the War Coalition denounced the move. He said: 'This war was immoral and illegal and should never have been fought. This proposal to prosecute is part of an ever-expanding witch-hunt against George Galloway because he was the most vocal anti-war voice.'

This latest twist comes as The Observer reveals details of a secret trip Galloway made to Morocco for the British-based Saudi dissident Saad al-Fagih, an Islamic fundamentalist who purchased a satellite phone used by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.

In February 1996 Galloway flew to Morocco for a secret meeting with the then Crown Prince of Morocco to explore a deal between the Islamic Saudi dissidents in the UK and the Saudi royal family.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: galloway; georgegalloway; iraqifreedom; sedition; traitor; treachery
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To: Pokey78
I think ole Galloway is in a heap of trouble.
41 posted on 04/27/2003 4:37:42 AM PDT by gulfcoast6 (Take care of your character and your reputation will take care of itself.)
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To: Pokey78
MASTER LIST Useless Nation's Oil for Food scam + galloway
42 posted on 04/27/2003 6:17:02 AM PDT by GailA (Millington Rally for America after action http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/872519/posts)
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To: Pokey78
The liberals would love for sedition, treachery and treason to be added to the free speech right.
Absurd on it's face.
43 posted on 04/27/2003 6:36:59 AM PDT by DianaN (Eternal Freedom)
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To: Pokey78
'I hope to have chiselled on my gravestone: "He incited them to disaffect."'

-- George Galloway, husband of PLO terrorist leader Yasser Arafat's neice.

I'd like to know a LOT more about Galloways little side trips to buy equipment for al Qaeda, probably with Iraqi money.

44 posted on 04/27/2003 8:14:18 AM PDT by cake_crumb (UN Resolutions=Very Expensive, Very SCRATCHY Toilet Paper)
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To: Cicero
"The Brits have much stricter laws on these matters than we do. I should think there might be some chance of convicting Galloway, especially since it appears that he was paid by the enemy to make these kinds of statements."

That seems like it would fall under treason, rather than plain old sedition.

45 posted on 04/27/2003 8:31:52 AM PDT by cake_crumb (UN Resolutions=Very Expensive, Very SCRATCHY Toilet Paper)
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To: Rebelbase
Hanging is too good.

Have him drawn and quartered by 4 horses with same pulling power.

Before that happens, have the horses drag him around Parliament several times with signs on their backs stating, "Traitors, take notice, this could be you!"
46 posted on 04/27/2003 8:46:18 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (Being a Monthly Donor to Free Republic is the Right Thing to do!)
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To: Pokey78
Forget treachery. It will be difficult to prove given the fact that there were plenty of other MPs spouting anti-war sentiments. The authorities should pursue tax evasion--just like the Feds did against Al Capone. Did Galloway include these funds in his tax returns? They need to follow the money.
47 posted on 04/27/2003 9:32:31 AM PDT by kabar
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To: AnAmericanMother

"Galloway Enumerating his Iraqi Receipts"

48 posted on 04/27/2003 9:45:26 AM PDT by dighton (Amen-Corner Hatchet Team, Nasty Little Cliqueâ„¢)
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To: Pokey78; Cindy; Cicero
A couple of the many shocking things that turn up on this man. Galloway deserves some sort of award for stupidity, along with our own McDermott and Bonior, and--oh, I guess I could go on for a while. (Italics and underlining are added by me for emphasis below.)

link to article in the UK Telegraph

We don't know why Britain has turned against us, dictator tells MP By Benedict Brogan, Political Correspondent (Filed: 12/08/2002)

Saddam Hussein evoked the spirit of Winston Churchill yesterday when he vowed that his country would "never surrender" if America and Britain launched an attack against his regime.

In an interview in which he admitted a fondness for Quality Street chocolates and double-decker buses, the Iraqi dictator called on Tony Blair to help Britain recover its status in the Arab world by ignoring America.

His defiant message came in a conversation with the Labour MP George Galloway, who joined him for tea in Baghdad after a cloak-and-dagger drive through the city...

Since the Gulf war, Mr Galloway has been consistent and persistent in his condemnation of American and British air raids on Baghdad and elsewhere [now we know why though--$$$$$$$].

After the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, he angered many by writing that in some parts of the world "people will consider the US to have had to swallow its own medicine".

He was one of the first MPs publicly to shake hands with Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein leader, in the 1980s. Over the years Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat have basked in his flattery.

Mr Galloway - nicknamed Gorgeous George because of his colourful love-life - was instrumental in twinning the city of Dundee, where he was born and raised, with the West Bank town of Nablus, which led to the Palestine Liberation Organisation's flag flying from Dundee's city chambers.

link to article in Frontpage

George Galloway, the MP who greeted Saddam in 1994 with the words "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability," also has an ambiguous relationship with Stalinism. He describes Fidel Castro as "Cuba's liberator" and as "cool not cruel." He was asked by an interviewer last year if he would describe himself as part of the "Stalinist left", and he replied, "I wouldn't define it that way because of the pejoratives loaded around it; that would be making a rod for our own back. If you are asking did I support the Soviet Union, yes I did . . . The disappearance of the Soviet Union is the biggest catastrophe of my life."

49 posted on 04/27/2003 10:33:09 AM PDT by texasbluebell
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To: dighton
"The more mischief, the better sport!"

His son makes an appearance in Stevenson's David Balfour (he doesn't give a good impression) but I always had a soft spot for the old plotter. At least he died like a gentleman.

50 posted on 04/27/2003 10:53:12 AM PDT by AnAmericanMother (. . . there is nothing new under the sun.)
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To: battlegearboat
A little more digging might uncover espionage. Wouldn't that be exciting?! 38 posted on 04/27/2003 4:29 AM PDT by battlegearboat (Not a paddlewheeler) [ Post Reply

Yeah BUDDY !!

51 posted on 04/27/2003 10:57:42 AM PDT by timestax
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To: RightOnTheLeftCoast
Now isn't that interesting.

It most certainly is.

52 posted on 04/27/2003 6:42:41 PM PDT by ladyinred
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To: texasbluebell
re post no.49...

Well, I guess you can say at the very least that Mr. Galloway is a very consistent man when it comes to who he supports and who he is against. Very interesting.
53 posted on 04/27/2003 11:42:29 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: piasa
re post no. 30...

Hmmmm... That's very interesting too, Piasa.
54 posted on 04/27/2003 11:46:07 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: Cindy
BTT
55 posted on 04/27/2003 11:49:06 PM PDT by nopardons
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To: Pokey78
This man was very wrong to instruct British soldiers to disobey orders. That rises to the level of encouraging desertion, which is the same as treason.
56 posted on 04/28/2003 6:38:52 AM PDT by No Dems 2004
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To: Pokey78
MEDIA RESEARCH.org: "British MP Who ABC's Sawyer Commended
Was on Hussein's Payroll" (April 29, 2003)
http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2003/cyb20030429.asp#1

ARTICLE SNIPPET:
"A pre-war flashback: Diane Sawyer's trusted guidepost to European disgust with President Bush, it turns out, was on Saddam Hussein's payroll to the tune of $3 million a year. As recounted in the February 28 CyberAlert, on Good Morning America Sawyer showcased Labor Member of Parliament George Galloway's swipe at how “this born again, right-wing, Bible-belting, fundamentalist, Republican administration in the United States wants war,” a screeching she called “a wake-up call for me.” She contended that such widespread disgust with President Bush and America “really raises the question about what it means to override the United Nations if we don't get those nine votes...in order to pass the second resolution.”

     Now we know, thanks to London's Daily Telegraph, that papers found at Iraq's Foreign Ministry document payments to Galloway."
57 posted on 04/29/2003 11:55:58 AM PDT by Cindy
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To: Pokey78
An Interesting Discussion on FREEREPUBLIC.com regarding an article entitled "SADDAM'S CASH" published in the May 5, 2003 Edition of THE WEEKLY STANDARD
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/900792/posts
58 posted on 04/30/2003 11:19:56 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: Pokey78; backhoe; HAL9000; kattracks; piasa
DAILY TIMES.com.pk - A New Voice For A New Pakistan: "GEORGE GALLOWAY IS A CROOK -- HOW CONVENIENT" by Scott Ritter (April 26, 2003)
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_26-4-2003_pg4_10
59 posted on 05/03/2003 9:01:30 PM PDT by Cindy
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