John Bolton, the former American ambassador to the UN, has brushed off an attempted citizen’s arrest at the Hay Festival in Wales as “comic”.
But he said there was a “larger issue” at stake - that in a democracy people had to accept the elected government’s view on the legality of a conflict.
George Monbiot, the columnist and activist, had tried to perform a citizen’s arrest on Mr Bolton as the former diplomat ended a talk to more than 600 people on Wednesday evening.
In chaotic scenes, Mr Monbiot was stopped from doing so by security guards.
Afterwards Mr Monbiot, a regular freelance contributor for The Guardian, said he was “disappointed” his attempt had failed.
He said: “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.”
Mr Bolton, a key ‘hawk’ in President George W Bush’s administration between 2001 and 2006, argued strongly in favour of “regime change” in Iraq before the 2003 invasion.
Brushing aside Mr Monbiot’s attempted citizen’s arrest, he said: “I think in my own individual case it’s kind of comic.”
But he added: “I think there’s a larger issue here. You have a democratically elected parliament and its government assessed the war as legal and proper.”
When individuals took actions outside the law, in their eyes to bring those responsible for the war to justice, “that is the point you move towards lawlessness and fascism,” he said.
And when one’s views do match those of the democratically elected government, “you have to accept that”, he added.
Dismissing Mr Monbiot’s attempted citizen’s arrest as “street theatre”, he claimed not to have been aware of much opposition towards his visit.
“I don’t see a lot of it, I must say,” he said. “I would assess it in the same way I assess Monbiot – as an indication of the larger potential problem.”
Claims have been circulating that he pulled out of a talk today at the Ideas Festival in Bristol because of threats of disruption by the Stop the War coalition.
Mr Bolton said they were unfounded.
He said the reason was a contractual dispute over the payment of his expenses between the organisers of the Hay and Bristol festivals.
“I would be delighted to go to Bristol and face the fruitcakes down,” he said.
A citizen’s arrest is legal in certain circumstances under the under the Serious and Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.
But Peter Florence, director of the Hay Festival, said on Wednesday that 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.”
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment