Blood on his hands: Should Tony Blair be prosecuted for war crimes?
- Text by Max Gayler
- Photography by Seb Heseltine
![Blood on his hands: Should Tony Blair be prosecuted for war crimes?](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/IMG_3766-2_2023-03-27-084454_mxmb.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
“I will be with you, whatever,” Tony Blair allegedly told George Bush ahead of the Iraq invasion in 2003.
Blair’s decision to side with Bush over the millions of people who marched in the streets to oppose the war destroyed his political reputation. Today the Chilcot Inquiry delivered a damning assessment of Blair’s decision to push ahead with the war, on the basis of flawed intelligence and without exhausting all options for a peaceful solution to the diplomatic crisis.
“Blair should be held to the highest level of account in this country”, Caroline Lucas MP told Huck. “The first thing we need to do is to make sure this country ratifies the amendment with International Criminal Court, which means that lies of aggression can be punished.”
Blair’s failure to make a suitable plan for post-invasion governance was blamed for the Iraqi civil war that developed on his watch, the violence and corruption that still plagues the country, and the displacement of three-to-five million Iraqis.
Conservative estimates put the Iraq death toll at over 150,000, but if we take into account the regional instability unleashed, such as the Syrian conflict, that number could be even higher.
So, while Chilcot has not ruled on the legality of the war, he placed blame squarely at Blair’s door. Should he be tried for war crimes? We asked those who’d gathered outside the inquiry for their thoughts.
George Kerevan MP
![George Kerevan](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/George-Kerevan.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Incasa Oraibi
![Incasa Oraibi](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Incasa-Oraibi.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Murad Qureshi
![Murad Qureshi 2](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Murad-Qureshi-2.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Zailat Mimi
![Zailat](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Zailat.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Daniel Taylor
![Daniel Taylor](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Daniel-Taylor.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Simon Jay
![Simon Jay](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Simon-Jay.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Gareth Jenkins
![Gareth Jenkins](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Gareth-Jenkins.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Andy Robinson
![Andy Robinson 2](https://images.huckmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Andy-Robinson-2.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Latest on Huck
![“I refuse to accept child poverty is a normal part of our society”: Apsana Begum MP on voting to scrap the cap](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/332218299_653673959895869_4114766209936780526_n_2024-07-26-125639_apuo.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
“I refuse to accept child poverty is a normal part of our society”: Apsana Begum MP on voting to scrap the cap
After seeking to “enhance” the King’s Speech by voting for the scrapping of the controversial two child benefit cap, the MP for Poplar and Limehouse lost the Labour Whip.
Written by: Apsana Begum
![Is skateboarding really a subculture anymore?](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/Huck81_Socials_HeroImage_SkateboardingIsNotASubculture_240618_V2-1.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Is skateboarding really a subculture anymore?
With skate’s inclusion in the Olympics, Kyle Beachy asks what it means for the culture around the sport, and whether it’s possible to institutionalise an artform.
Written by: Kyle Beachy
![Autism cannot be cured — stop trying](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/shutterstock_2322534063.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Autism cannot be cured — stop trying
A questionable study into the ‘reversal’ of autism does nothing but reinforce damaging stereotypes and harm, argues autistic author Jodie Hare.
Written by: Jodie Hare
![Bristol Photo Festival returns for second edition](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/Hashem-Shakeri-from-the-series-_Staring-into-the-Abyss_.-%C2%A9-Hashem-Shakeri.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Bristol Photo Festival returns for second edition
After the success of it’s inaugural run, the festival returns this autumn with exhibitions, education and community programmes exploring a world in constant motion through still image.
Written by: Ben Smoke
![Documenting the life of a New York gang leader paralysed by gun violence](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/web-Eyanna-has-always-been-Maliks-primary-caregiver.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
Documenting the life of a New York gang leader paralysed by gun violence
New photobook ‘Say Less’ is a complex yet humanising look into a life wrecked by gun violence and organised crime.
Written by: Isaac Muk
![The woman who defined 80s Hip Hop photography](https://images.huckmag.com/tco/images/Huck/7_ULTRAMAGNETIC-MCS_NYC-1990.jpg?w=1920&q=75&auto=compress&format=jpg)
The woman who defined 80s Hip Hop photography
A new exhibition brings together Janette Beckman’s visionary and boundary pushing images of an era of cultural change and moral panic.
Written by: Miss Rosen