Police urged to investigate Blair over 'murder' call

Histomat exclusive:Police urged to investigate Blair over bombing 'morally justified' speech

Prime Minister Tony Blair was facing calls for his expulsion from Parliament and a police inquiry yesterday following an interview in which he said the killing of innocent Iranian civilians by bombing would be "morally justified".

Asked if the murder of hundreds of thousands of Iranian citizens in revenge for the attacks on September 11th could be justified if WMD were removed in the process, Blair replied: "Yes, it would be morally justified. I am not calling for it just right now, but if it happened I believe it would be of a wholly different moral order to the events on 7/7. It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq, as I did earlier."

His comments, in the magazine GQ, were condemned by a representative of the Respect Party as well as a couple of backbench Labour MPs including Jeremy Corbyn, who called on the Commons to pass a motion expelling Mr Blair for a period. He said: "This latest outburst is outrageous, even in comparison with his previously disgraceful comments. It is astonishing that anyone should suggest the murder of thousands of innocent people."

George Galloway, the Respect MP, said he had written to Sir Ian Blair, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, asking for an investigation. Dianne Abbott, the MP for Hackney, said: "These remarks are grossly irresponsible and disgraceful. The question is could they be construed as incitement to murder or glorification of state terrorism."

But Mr Blair, who is visiting America, defended his remarks in an interview on the PM programme on BBC Radio 4, saying: "I fully stand by it." However, Mr Blair reiterated his view, stated in the GQ article, that it would not be right to carry out a nuclear strike on Iran because World War III would strengthen rather than weaken the terrorist camp.

Blair said he would alert the UN if he knew of such a plan for Armaggeddon because it would be counterproductive. "I'm not calling for it and I don't want it to happen," he said. Challenged to state that beginning World War III through launching a nuclear strike on Iran could never be justified, Mr Blair cited remarks made by George Bush in 2002, when George Bush mumbled something about ruling it out for now, or at least until after he was re-elected in 2004.

George Galloway, Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow said: "Blair is disgraceful and twisted. He is low enough to walk under a snake's stomach with a top hat on."

Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: "No politician should give any support to the notion that violence might be justified."