Obama urged to speak up

FORMER model Bianca Jagger and singer Annie Lennox joined human rights campaigners yesterday to call on American president-elect Barack Obama to speak up against the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Former mayor of London Ken Livingstone and the comedian Alexei Sayle also added their support to the campaign.

Speaking at a press conference in central London, Ms Jagger said: “People throughout the world were hopeful when he [Obama] was elected and we must appeal to him to ask for the immediate cessation of the bombardment.”

The press conference was called ahead of a demonstration today that is expected to seethousands of people rally along the Embankment in London before marching to Trafalgar Square to demand an immediate end to the Israeli attacks.

Annie Lennox spoke of her shock at watching scenes of the bombing on television.

She said: “How was this going to be the solution to peace?”