Monbiot plans a citizen's arrest of John Bolton on Wednesday

[MacCruiskeen]

"I do not want to advocate something [i.e. the arrest of Bolton] I am not prepared to do myself. I was planning to stay at home on Wednesday, but I now intend to come back, listen to Mr Bolton speak, and then carry out this arrest. I hope that others at Hay might join me."

[orz]

Great idea but maybe shouldn't have announced it in advance? Also I'm not sure how successful he'll be. I don't know how well it would fit the criteria for a citizen's arrest:

(3) But the power of summary arrest conferred by subsection (1) or (2) is exercisable only if—

(a) the person making the arrest has reasonable grounds for believing that for any of the reasons mentioned in subsection (4) it is necessary to arrest the person in question; and

(b) it appears to the person making the arrest that it is not reasonably practicable for a constable to make it instead.

(4) The reasons are to prevent the person in question—

(a) causing physical injury to himself or any other person;

(b) suffering physical injury;

(c) causing loss of or damage to property; or

(d) making off before a constable can assume responsibility for him.”

Also I love the fact that the term "making off" is part of the law.

[MacCruiskeen]

Of course it is purely symbolic; he has no hope of getting away with it under a New Labour or Tory government. (Not to mention a dozen bodyguards.) But by publicising it in advance, Monbiot ensures there'll be plenty of helpers and maybe a couple of TV cameras there too.

Prediction: On Wednesday morning, John Bolton will suddenly remember a previous engagement / contract a bad cold / be called away on urgent business.

If he is foolish enough to turn up, I am looking forward to a telegenic brawl, complete with copious swearing from John B, instantly immortalised on YouTube.

Bolton, 10 floors smaller:

[orz]

Indeed.

Ha yes, I certainly wouldn't bet against that.

[MacCruiskeen]

Campaigner fails to arrest ex-Bush official over 'war crimes'

Michael White
Wednesday May 28, 2008
guardian.co.uk

The environmental campaigner, George Monbiot, last night failed in his attempt to make a citizen's arrest on the senior ex-Bush administration official John Bolton over "war crimes" committed by the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

As Bolton, a former US ambassador to the UN, ended his hour-long discussion at the Hay festival, Monbiot, who had earlier challenged him for alleged breaches of the post-war Nuremburg Principles, moved towards the stage waving a charge sheet.

In his earlier discussion Bolton defended the right of the US to launch pre-emptive nuclear attacks and to promote regime change or - if necessary - a military attack against Iran in order to prevent it acquiring nuclear weapons.

He also told questioners that, as a lawyer, he was not prepared to offer a view on either extreme rendition or torture of suspects because he had not studied the issues - a claim which provoked dismay.

Monbiot whose second attempt to catch Bolton behind the tent was also prevented, left the scene. Brigstocke told reporters it had been "absolutely pathetic." Bolton should have been willing to test his claims in court.

But security staff, alerted by pre-publicity, intervened and bundled Monbiot out of the tent as 20 supporters chanted "war criminal" and waved placards. The comedian, Marcus Brigstocke, who tried to pursue Bolton as he left the other side of the tent, was also blocked by security staff.

When challenged by Mobiot during the debate to say why - in planning, preparing and waging war against Saddam Hussein - he was no different from "Nazi war criminals" condemned at Nuremburg, Bolton cited Iraqi defiance of the UN resolutions 687 and 678 which underpinned the 1991 Iraq war and ceasefire.

That defiance released other parties from the obligation to the ceasefire, he told Monbiot. "You are wrong as a matter of law and a matter of fact," he said.

http://books.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2282525,00.html

[medicis]

'Pathetic' is indeed the word. If you don't have enough 'people' you cannot force any issue.

[kurish]

null

[MacCruiskeen]

George Monbiot, speaking truth to security:

5 / 7

At the end of the hour, Monbiot rose to ask Bolton a question. Security staff intervened and bundled the columnist, clutching his charge sheet, out of the tent

Photograph: Felix Clay