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Starmer slammed for ‘humiliating’ response to Trump’s illegal Iran strikes

On Saturday 21 June, US president Donald Trump launched massive and illegal missile attacks on the sovereign nation of Iran, following on from an unprovoked Israeli assault on the country a week before. He did so in total violation of international law, and without the consent of the US congress or the support of the US people. It was an unjustifiable act of aggression which threatens to escalate into a full-scale war which will kill many, further destabilise the Middle East, and disturb the cooperation of nations around the globe for decades to come.

So of course Keir Starmer immediately came out in support of the escalation:

The conflict with Iran began when Israel attacked it. The apartheid state justified its assault with the same excuse that the US and Britain used to illegally invade Iraq in 2003, claiming that Iran was working on ‘weapons of mass destruction’. Citizens around the world weren’t falling for this, as we reported last week, and yet Labour immediately took sides with Israel – the aggressor.

For those following Israel’s genocide in Gaza, this turn of events was unsurprising. Both the US and the UK have continued to support and arm Israel despite it facing accusations of war crimes in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Former prime minister David Cameron even tried to threaten the ICC not to issue arrest warrants for those responsible.

What’s one more breach of international law on top of all that?

Partners in war crimes

The fact that Starmer’s move was unsurprising, however, does not mean it wasn’t disgusting. And many people made their disgust clear:

Others are highlighting that Starmer either had no idea what Trump had planned or was openly lying to the media:

The big difference between this moment and 2003 is that increasingly few people support the Western establishment’s crusades in the Middle East. As such, even commentators like the Daily Mail‘s Dan Hodges are calling Starmer out:

But then, Hodges may have actually been hoping for even stronger support for Trump, by the looks of it:

 

The picture this paints is that the US was sincerely trying to bring Iran to the table (despite backing Israel’s offensive) and that Starmer fucked it all up. In reality, Iran has been open to and engaging in negotiations for years, and was reportedly ready to pledge never to develop nuclear weapons before Israel came in and blew up the negotiating table. There was also reporting last week that Trump planned to attack Iran at the weekend (i.e. when the markets were closed).

Another right-winger criticising Starmer was founder of Conservative Home Tim Montgomerie:

We’re sure that Montgomerie is upset we’re apparently being sidelined, but either way, it highlights how despicable Starmer is. Even when the US doesn’t care about us at all, our prime minister is bending over backwards to let it step on us.

Shameful. Depraved. Expected.

An empty vessel

The following post truly highlights what an empty vessel Keir Starmer is:

The Telegraph reported on the case Starmer defended in 2004:

A group of anti-war protesters had broken into RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to sabotage US bombers before they flew to Iraq.

Sir Keir argued that while the actions were against the law, they were justified because they were trying to stop the planes from committing war crimes.

Josh Richards, who was represented by Sir Keir, was cleared after a jury failed to reach a verdict.

The Telegraph covered this with a negative slant, of course, because the right care more about property damage than illegal wars which kill hundreds of thousands of people.

Comparing the above case to this moment, Starmer’s government is moving to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group because it grafittied a fighter jet. As Maryam Jameela reported on 20 June:

Palestine Action activists have broken into RAF Brize Norton and damaged two military aircrafts. The military base is the largest hub in the UK for air transport. In a video posted to its social media, actionists can be seen squirting paint into the engines of military aircraft.

Regarding Labour’s plan to proscribe Palestine Action, the BBC wrote:

The home secretary will move to proscribe the Palestine Action group in the coming weeks, effectively branding them as a terrorist organisation, the BBC understands.

Yvette Cooper is preparing a written statement to put before Parliament on Monday.

The decision comes as a security review begins at military bases across the UK, after pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and sprayed two military planes with red paint.

Palestine Action responded:

When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action.

We agree with Palestine Action. Starmer’s government is operating outside all moral and legal expectations, and it would be wrong to just stand by and watch.

A national embarrassment

Starmer’s refusal to call out the US or its Israeli partner for their almost-certainly illegal actions is deeply troubling. His cowardice suggests that, if it comes down to it, he will try to sign us up to a war that very few people in this country want.

As Starmer is already one of the most unpopular politicians this country has ever suffered through, we imagine the resulting response will make the Iraq protests look like a picnic.

Featured image via Gage Skidmore (Flickr) / UK Home Office (Wikimedia) – all images cropped

By The Canary

This post was originally published on Canary.