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| Iraq war families crowdsource for funds to sue Tony Blair | Iraq war families crowdsource for funds to sue Tony Blair |
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| Family members of British soldiers killed in Iraq have launched a crowdfunding appeal to prosecute Tony Blair over his role in the war. | Family members of British soldiers killed in Iraq have launched a crowdfunding appeal to prosecute Tony Blair over his role in the war. |
| Relatives aim to raise £150,000 to fund a legal assessment of the possibility of a private prosecution of the former prime minister and others, following the publication of the Chilcot report earlier this month. | |
| The report – the result of a seven-year inquiry into the 2003 war by Sir John Chilcot – was damning in its criticism of Blair, finding that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, that Saddam Hussain posed no imminent threat, and that both Blair and George W Bush had not exhausted all diplomatic options before resorting to invasion. | |
| The appeal is led by Reg Keys and Roger Bacon, whose sons L/Cpl Tom Keys and Maj Matthew Bacon were among 179 British service personnel who died during the invasion. | |
| Keys said that while some families had opted to move on, the campaign, under the banner of the Iraq War Families Campaign Group, spoke for the majority of bereaved relatives. | Keys said that while some families had opted to move on, the campaign, under the banner of the Iraq War Families Campaign Group, spoke for the majority of bereaved relatives. |
| “The families will be taking a civil prosecution against Tony Blair and anybody who is flagged up in [the report] who it is deemed viable and appropriate to pursue legally,” he said. | “The families will be taking a civil prosecution against Tony Blair and anybody who is flagged up in [the report] who it is deemed viable and appropriate to pursue legally,” he said. |
| Keys said the money would enable the families’ legal team, from the London firm McCue and Partners, to assess the 2.6m-word report and determine whether there are grounds for possible prosecutions. | Keys said the money would enable the families’ legal team, from the London firm McCue and Partners, to assess the 2.6m-word report and determine whether there are grounds for possible prosecutions. |
| Related: Tony Blair unrepentant as Chilcot gives crushing Iraq war verdict | Related: Tony Blair unrepentant as Chilcot gives crushing Iraq war verdict |
| “The police will not look at [the report], the government will not look at it, we cannot get legal aid to look at it,” Keys said. “There’s a lot of work involved, but we feel that [Blair] needs to be brought to account for this. He and the other peddlers of the deceit.” | “The police will not look at [the report], the government will not look at it, we cannot get legal aid to look at it,” Keys said. “There’s a lot of work involved, but we feel that [Blair] needs to be brought to account for this. He and the other peddlers of the deceit.” |
| By midday on Tuesday, just 12 hours after its launch, the appeal had raised almost half its target of £50,000, which Keys described as heartwarming. The total target is £150,000 but sites set targets in £50,000-increments. | |
| “Our determination to find answers has been redoubled by Sir John’s excoriating view of the establishment’s tragic and error-strewn display,” said Bacon. “We must now ensure every iota of the report is analysed in depth, to determine whether there are potential legal cases to follow up. And to help us, we ask the British public to take action.” | “Our determination to find answers has been redoubled by Sir John’s excoriating view of the establishment’s tragic and error-strewn display,” said Bacon. “We must now ensure every iota of the report is analysed in depth, to determine whether there are potential legal cases to follow up. And to help us, we ask the British public to take action.” |
| Blair defended his actions after the report was published, insisting he had acted in good faith, based on intelligence at the time that Iraq was developing WMDs. He vehemently denied that he had lied to parliament, saying: “I can look the nation in the eye and say I did not mislead this country.” | Blair defended his actions after the report was published, insisting he had acted in good faith, based on intelligence at the time that Iraq was developing WMDs. He vehemently denied that he had lied to parliament, saying: “I can look the nation in the eye and say I did not mislead this country.” |
| Matthew Jury, the lawyer representing the families, said the appeal was “the only chance for justice” for the families and the British people. | Matthew Jury, the lawyer representing the families, said the appeal was “the only chance for justice” for the families and the British people. |
| “The report told us what went wrong and who was responsible, but it was not a court of law. If they can, the families are determined to hold those individuals to account by bringing them to trial to answer for their actions,” he said. | |
| “Not just for them or their loved ones but to ensure that never again will our politicians act with such impunity in taking our country into an unjust war with such tragic consequences.” |