Christian groups respond to Chilcott Report

London, 15 February 2003

Christian peace campaigners have welcomed the release of the Chilcot Report into the 2003 war on Iraq, which directly cause the deaths of many thousands of people and destabilised the region - leading to the deaths of millions and conflicts continuing today.

The report states: " We have concluded that the UK chose to join the invasion of Iraq before the peaceful options for disarmament had been exhausted. Military action at that time was not a last resort.

Barbara Kentish from Westminster Justice and Peace said today: "The report confirms what many of us suspected for many years - that the decision to attack Iraq was simply wrong. On that cold February day in 2003 when more than one million of us went on the streets to try to prevent disaster, we never envisaged SUCH disaster.

Though we did not know that there was no imminent threat from Saddam Hussein, we knew the peaceful options had not been exhausted. The glorification of this war, as of subsequent military adventures in the Middle East, has been disgraceful. We need to put more resources into peace education and anti-militarism.

Bruce Kent, vice chair of CND said: "There is much justified anger about Tony Blair's role in launching in 2003 the disastrous war on Iraq.

Had most of us been familiar with the UN Charter, the illegality of that 'war' would have been obvious from the outset.

Article 42 of the UN Charter says plainly that the only body explicitly authorised to take military action, if all else fails, is the Security Council. It is not there to be implied or assumed by others from previous Security Council resolutions.

Unhappily there is massive public ignorance about the Charter. In all my years I have never heard it mentioned in a sermon or a Pastoral letter.

I have never seen a copy available in the church porch.

We can indeed blame Blair.

But we, of the universal church, are not free from blame for our own culpable ignorance.

Symon Hill, Co-ordinator of the Peace Pledge Union, said: "We are pleased to see John Chilcot drawing attention to the flimsiness of Tony Blair's case for war. But Blair did not invade Iraq single-handedly. Blair could ignore the British public because he knew soldiers would do what they were told. If we are to learn lessons from the Iraq war, let's recognise that democracy is not served by the existence of a large body of people who are required to obey orders without question, even orders to kill.

"No institution should be immune from criticism. The armed forces - rooted in violence, hierarchy and the recruitment of vulnerable teenagers - must be challenged."

Read the full report here: www.iraqinquiry.org.uk/the-report