Protest ouside warmonger's lecture
medico | 09.02.2004 15:14 | Anti-militarism | Cambridge
Why should this warmonger be given an honoured reception by Cambridge University?
Come and remind him that he is not welcome here!
Come and remind him that he is not welcome here!
Vigil outside Air Marshal Torpy's Lecture.
When: Thursday 12 February - arrive for 18:00.
Where: Cambridge engineering department, Trumpington street.
Bring candles and banners.
Air Marshal G L Torpy was one of the top commanders during the Iraq
invasion and in charge of the Royal Air Force operations. He is
invited this Thursday 12th February to speak in the engineering
department by the Cambridge branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society
about the `Air war in Iraq'. A vigil will be held outside to remind
him of the 10,000 civilian dead, and many more military casualties,
that his illegal campaign has caused.
As a top commander of the RAF he not only shares responsibility with
politicians for what they dismiss as `collateral damage', but is also
directly responsible for engaging in an illegal war of
aggression. Without UN mandate, and with no threat to the UK, he led
an invasion that resulted in the occupation of Iraq. The result of his
actions was not only the immediate death and wounding of tens of
thousands of individual Iraquis, but also the ongoing economic and
political subjugation of an entire population.
Air Marshal G L Torpy is responsible for collaborating and directly
participating in what should be seen as a crime under international
law. His actions can be described, according to the Nuremberg
principles, as crimes against peace: "the planning, preparation,
initiation or waging of a war of aggression". His faithful and
honorable obedience to his political leaders is no excuse. "The fact
that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a
superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international
law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him."
The choice of subject and speaker glorifies the
logistical, technical and organizational aspects of the the Iraq
offensive, rather than its devastating and morally unjustifiable
cost. It clearly shows the priorities of his hosts and the
University of Cambridge.
For more information contact
manos@riseup.net
When: Thursday 12 February - arrive for 18:00.
Where: Cambridge engineering department, Trumpington street.
Bring candles and banners.
Air Marshal G L Torpy was one of the top commanders during the Iraq
invasion and in charge of the Royal Air Force operations. He is
invited this Thursday 12th February to speak in the engineering
department by the Cambridge branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society
about the `Air war in Iraq'. A vigil will be held outside to remind
him of the 10,000 civilian dead, and many more military casualties,
that his illegal campaign has caused.
As a top commander of the RAF he not only shares responsibility with
politicians for what they dismiss as `collateral damage', but is also
directly responsible for engaging in an illegal war of
aggression. Without UN mandate, and with no threat to the UK, he led
an invasion that resulted in the occupation of Iraq. The result of his
actions was not only the immediate death and wounding of tens of
thousands of individual Iraquis, but also the ongoing economic and
political subjugation of an entire population.
Air Marshal G L Torpy is responsible for collaborating and directly
participating in what should be seen as a crime under international
law. His actions can be described, according to the Nuremberg
principles, as crimes against peace: "the planning, preparation,
initiation or waging of a war of aggression". His faithful and
honorable obedience to his political leaders is no excuse. "The fact
that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a
superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international
law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him."
The choice of subject and speaker glorifies the
logistical, technical and organizational aspects of the the Iraq
offensive, rather than its devastating and morally unjustifiable
cost. It clearly shows the priorities of his hosts and the
University of Cambridge.
For more information contact
manos@riseup.net
medico
Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
Dead right, medico
09.02.2004 15:54
General documents relating to the Nuremberg Tribunal can be viewed here:
They would make a good basis for bringing Blair & his top officials, both civil and military to justice. (Article 27 authorises the death penalty).
Good luck Cambridge, greet this criminal's visit with mass protest, and, if possible, a blockade.
James Thorne, Manchester
e-mail:
squatticus@hotmail.com
Don't blame the soldiers
09.02.2004 23:48
What's the alternative? Mutinies at every turn, deaths of the other poor buggers who were sent over there on Bush and Blair's lies, the collapse of the capability of Britain to defend itself?
Blame the politicians - vilify them, abuse them at every opportunity, string them from the lampposts if necessary, but 'only following orders' is a valid defence, no matter what the victors justice at Nuremberg said.
Turn up, protest the war, but don't personally attack this public servant who has been so abused by his political masters.
Bri.
Brian
No Excuse
10.02.2004 07:35
This man is a War Criminal.
However, considering the LIES told to the troops and average citizens, I don't place the blame upon the troops either, but support actions such as these.
This Man Is A War Criminal
An issue of choice
10.02.2004 15:54
The Nuremberg principles recognise that some times orders are orders, and people might get shot for not following them. For this reason individual responsibility is attributed when "a moral choice was in fact possible".
Not for one moment I believe that Air Marshal Torpy did not have a moral choice! Ministers resigned from their positions, people disruped their everyday lives to do civil disobediance, they marched and marched and marched. We all had a moral choice and some of use made it clear that we are against the war!
No one gets shot in the British army for refusing to go to Iraq. No one is drafted and forced to go there! Refusing to participate would maybe ruin Torpy's career, but this is not an excuse, since it still represents a choice. For this reason he is responsible for "crimes against peace".
m
Not a 'soldier'
10.02.2004 19:04
And 'M' is right, he had the opportunity to turn down all that lovely, dirty, money, but it appears that he chose instead to commit a very serious crime, for which he should be investigated, and if found guilty, punished.
Each one of those top level generals, admirals and air marshals had a huge opportunity to do good last year - any one of their resignations would have shaken the government, if it was done as an act of conscientious objection. Stopping the war would have saved British servicemen's lives, not the opposite as Brian implies.
(By the way, all members of the forces have the right conscientiously to object to specific operations on a case by case basis - you don't have to be a pacifist. A contact of mine in the Cheshire Regiment tells me about 400 soldiers army-wide avoided going to the Gulf that way).
And lets not forget the *actual soldiers* who did get sent back from the Gulf before the war started: 2 lads from 16 Air Assault Brigade - real heroes.
I do not doubt that Torpy is a well educated man, and that he had every opportunity to refrain from crimes against peace. Lets have some prosecutions!
JT
Top FO adviser resigned over unlawful use of force
27.02.2004 13:04
Adviser 'resigned over Iraq war'
A former Foreign Office adviser has come forward to admit she quit her job because she did not agree with the legality of the war on Iraq.
Elizabeth Wilmhurst made a statement disclosing her name in the wake of recent press inquiries.
She said she had not wanted to continue as deputy legal adviser at the Foreign Office because she "did not agree the use of force against Iraq was lawful".
She now works at the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
Legal issues
In a statement, she said: "I left my job as a deputy legal adviser in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office because I did not agree that the use of force against Iraq was lawful, and in all the circumstances, I did not want to continue as a legal adviser."
Ms Wilmhurst, who resigned last March after 29 years at the Foreign Office, made herself known after reports appeared in the British press.
She is now head of the international law programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House).
The programme was launched in February 2004 to provide a forum for lawyers and policy-makers to discuss international legal issues and their practical application to current problems in international relations.
Ms Wilmhurst is also a visiting professor at University College, London.
James Thorne