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Galloway sparks a row

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: The prominent anti-war British MP, George Galloway, has sparked a row after he reportedly said in an interview that it would be "morally justified'' for a suicide bomber to target Prime Minister Tony Blair for invading Iraq which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent Iraqis. Mr. Galloway, who was expelled from the Labour Party for urging British troops in Iraq not to obey orders, was asked in an interview with GQ magazine: "Would the assassination of, say, Tony Blair by a suicide bomber — if there were no other casualties — be justified as revenge for the war in Iraq?''

Mr Galloway, who now represents the Respect Party which he founded after being expelled from Labour, was reported as saying: "Yes, it would be morally justified. I am not calling for it — but if it happened it would be of a wholly different moral order to the events of 7/7 [the July 7 London bombings]. It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq — as Blair did.''

His remarks upset even his own supporters who said they were in bad taste. In a statement, however, Mr. Galloway said he would "not support anyone seeking to assassinate the Prime Minister. From the point of view of someone who has seen their country invaded and their family blown apart it's possible, of course, for them to construct a moral justification.

"But I've made my position clear. I would not support anyone seeking to assassinate the Prime Minister. ''

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