Blackburn warms up for war criminals visit

Blackburn gets ready for the triumphal visit of the war criminals.. those with fond memories of Craig Murray's election office on Railway Road will love the picture taken today still displaying his website - remember all the nonsense about planning permission for the shop sign etc ? Nice to think everybody who arrrives and departs by bus and train will see this sign.



At the Lancashire Evening Post they won't tell you what the itinerary is, the US Embassy arrived and was closeted with the Editor many weeks ago. Security is evidently on high alert... here is a picture of the first bridge across the M65 leading to Blackburn (right hand cariageway) at the junction with the M66. You can see the 3 square box like tripod mounted cameras wired up to the white unmarked Police / Security van partly hidden by the tress - no doubt every vehicle approaching Blackburn is being filtered through the PNC.



Condileezza Rice will not be visiting a mosque after all, as Mr Kareshi said on BBC 4 PM ,of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, there could be some protests. They feel welcoming her is giving legitimacy to the war in Iraq. Ibrahaim Master a member of the mosque's governing committee, the Masjide Al Hidayah mosque on Millham Street where she was due to visit. He says they wanted to redress the feelings of Islamophobia.

Mr Master says he met people on Tuesday night with community leaders with contacts with the Stop the War Coalition, who said they would invade the mosque at 6.00 am at dawn prayers (Fadj) with 150 people, intervening so Condileezzas visit at 10.00 could not go ahead.

Alex Martindale, chair of Blackburn With Darwen Stop the War, said: "An historic decision has been made".

"Blackburn With Darwen Stop the War salutes the committee of the mosque and extends our thanks to the community and scholars involved for their united efforts in arriving at this decision."

Jamilah Shah, a member of Stop the War Coalition in Blackburn, said protesters were hoping to prevent Ms Rice visiting a local school.

Ms Rice was due to meet teachers and students at Pleckgate High School Maths and Computing College tomorrow.The BBC report the visit will go ahead despite up to 50 people protesting outside the school today (Thursday). One person protesting was adjoining Liberal Asian MP taking his child who knew nothing about the visit to the school.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the largest lobby group for the country's 1.6 million Muslims, said there was widespread opposition to U.S. foreign policy and Rice's visit.MCB spokesman Inayat Bunglawala said, "This particular U.S. administration has upset many Muslims in the UK and around the world ... so it is not particularly surprising that the visit to a Blackburn mosque has had to be cancelled."

"The U.S. government needs to demonstrate that it is prepared to be more even-handed in its relations with Muslims and Muslim countries."

Beatle mad Condi will also miss the opportunity to hear poet Roger McGough who has withdrawn from compeering a celebratory concert of the Liverpool Philharmonic to celebrate the city's status as European Capital of Culture 2008in Liverpool on Saturday, which she is due (so far) to attend.

However Condi will visit Blackburn Cathedral on Saturday and meet the preposterous The Dean of Blackburn, the Very Rev Christopher Armstrong, who says he visit will "promote peace and justice in the global community."

"I am delighted that they will both be able to spend time with us, sharing in some of the reflective resources which we provide for the whole community," he added. Perhaps he can ask her to stop rendition flights, bombing, destroying houses, killing women, children the elderly, restore sanitary conditions, electricity, and leave Iraq to the Iraqis.