Belfast rally to demand Blair faces '˜war crimes' trial

The People Before Profit councillor has invited anyone who supports his call to gather at the city hall at 5pm on Friday (July 8).

The rally will take place two days after the publication of Sir John Chilcot’s highly critical report into the Blair-led Government’s handling the 2003 invasion of Iraq and its aftermath.

Cllr Collins said many anti-war campaigners across the UK were calling for the former prime minister to face charges.

“Tony Blair is a war criminal responsible for large-scale death and destruction in the Middle East. He should not be allowed to get away from the horror he has inflicted upon the people of the Middle East,” he said.

“He led an illegal occupation— based on lies and spin from the very beginning—which resulted in untold tragedy for the Middle East, plunging an entire region into bloodshed and horror. Our world today is a much more unsafe place as a result.”

Cllr Collins added: “Millions of us marched against these wars, yet Blair still went ahead. The anti-war movement was right at the time, and we are right today to call for Blair to face criminal charges. He should not be allowed to walk away from this. He has blood on his hands.”