Protesters hope to arrest Blair in Johannesburg

Johannesburg - The Muslim political party Al Jama-ah plans to protest against former British prime minister Tony Blair when he speaks in Johannesburg, it said on Monday.

"The demonstration is being held to support a warrant of arrest to charge him for crimes against humanity relating to the invasion of Iraq which led to the killings of millions of Iraqis," said Al Jama-ah president Ganief Hendricks.

Blair is one of the speakers at the Discovery Leadership Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and chess grandmaster and political activist Garry Kasparov are also expected to speak.

Hendricks said the City of Johannesburg was allowing the party to hold its demonstration.

"It is hoped that one or more demonstrators will be able to make a citizen's arrest on the day and put Tony Blair in jail and extradite him to The Hague for trial."

The website arrestblair.org has offered monetary awards to people who try to make a citizen's arrest of Blair for alleged crimes against humanity.

Attempts to arrest him have been made in China, outside the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war and the European Parliament; and in Dublin, Ireland.

Hendriks said Al Jama-ah would also march to the Burmese embassy in Pretoria on Friday to protest against the "ethnic cleansing of Muslims" in that country.

"Muslims are killed day in and day out [and] most of them [are] women, children and the elderly," he said.

"We must not underestimate the power of dua [prayer] and protests which are a [form of] dua in itself. Embassies of countries whose governments kill Muslims must not expect to be unchallenged in South Africa."

August 28, 2012