LONDON: An online petition to strip former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair of his recently awarded knighthood has reached 1 million signatures.
Blair, a divisive and controversial figure in Britain, was awarded last week a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the most senior order of knighthood. The decision was met with both criticism and support from across the political spectrum.
Labour MP Richard Burgon tweeted: “It says a lot about what is wrong with our system when, after being one of the leading architects of the Iraq War, Tony Blair is honored with a knighthood while Julian Assange, who exposed war crimes in Iraq, faces extradition to the US and a lifetime in prison.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer highlighted Blair’s achievements, including enacting a national minimum wage and securing the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.
Starmer said: “I understand there are strong views on the Iraq War. There were back at the time and there still are, but that does not detract from the fact that Tony Blair was a very successful prime minister of this country and made a huge difference to the lives of millions of people in this country.”
Rose Gentle, the mother of a 19-year-old soldier who was killed in the Iraqi city of Basra in 2004, told the Daily Record that she had written to the committee responsible for awarding honors to “ask for an explanation” over Blair’s appointment.
The person behind the petition, Angus Scott, said on Change.org: “Tony Blair caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the UK and to the very fabric of the nation’s society.
“He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent, civilian lives and servicemen in various conflicts. For this alone he should be held accountable for war crimes.”
On Thursday, Scott thanked people who had signed the petition on behalf of “families of soldiers who died in both Iraq and Afghanistan.”