Anti-war meeting hears Paul Bigley message

About 200 anti-war protesters held a sombre meeting tonight calling for the withdrawal of coalition troops from Iraq.

The meeting, which was initially due to feature a live telephone link with Paul Bigley, brother of murdered hostage Ken, opened with a minute’s silence in tribute to his memory.

Mr Bigley withdrew from the meeting following news of his brother’s execution, but asked for a short message to be read out.

It said: “Please, please stop the war and prevent any other lives being lost. It is illegal. It has to stop.

“Mr Blair has blood on his hands.”

The meeting was arranged by the Merseyside Stop The War coalition, and was held in the Eleanor Rathbone Theatre at the University of Liverpool.

Paul Bigley was tonight travelling from his home in Amsterdam to Liverpool to be with his mother Lil and brothers Phil and Stan.

Chairman Mark Holt offered his condolences and sympathy to the Bigley family on behalf of the group, before Rose Gentle, the mother of soldier Gordon, who was killed while serving in Iraq, gave a short speech calling for the withdrawal of British forces.

She said: “Tony Blair should listen to us and stop listening to America. It’s time to face up to reality.

“(Tony Blair) wrote to me and told me that Gordon had died for his country. That is rubbish. Gordon died for Tony Blair’s greed and lies.

“He should set a deadline and bring all the troops back home.”