Citizen's Arrest of John Bolton? Updated.

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Wednesday May 28, 2008 · 1:42 PM PDT

2008/05/28 · 13:42

George Monbiot, who writes for the GuardianUK, has stated his intention to perform a citizen's arrest on John Bolton -

after he addresses an audience at the Hay Festival in Wales this evening. [TheTelegraghUK via commonDreams, 28May08]

Monbiot sees Bolton as a war criminal and may be doing something about it approximately ... now (if 1:30pm PDT is 9:30pm in Wales).

Only when those who help to launch illegal wars fear punishment will future governments desist from launching them. As citizens I believe we have a duty to try to deter future war crimes. So I propose that we allow John Bolton to speak here, and then carry out a citizen's arrest.

Section 24A of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 permits any citizen to "arrest without a warrant ... anyone whom he has reasonable grounds for suspecting to be guilty" of an offence.

I do not want to advocate something I am not prepared to do myself. I was planning to stay at home on Wednesday, but I now intend to come back, listen to Mr Bolton speak, and then carry out this arrest. [GuardianUK]

Explaining his motivation for carrying out what will be a purely symbolic gesture, Mr Monbiot said: "Many people accept that the launching of the Iraq war was an international crime, but no one has yet been prepared to act on it by arresting one of the perpetrators." [TheTelegraghUK via commonDreams]

This is spreading far and wide, per Google, but I haven't seen it yet on dKos.

Feedback?

Update. (And TY to all commenters on my 2nd ever diary.)

Mr Monbiot was blocked by two heavily-built security guards at the end of the one-and-a-half hour appearance, before he could serve a "charge sheet" on him.

After being released by the guards the columnist - a fierce critic of the 2003 American-led invasion - made a dash through the rain-soaked tented village in a failed attempt to catch up with Mr Bolton. [DailyTelegraph.UK]

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