Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are coming together to join the call to strip former prime minister Tony Blair of his recently awarded knighthood for his role in Iraq war.
An online petition was set up in response to Blair's knighthood with the oldest and most senior British order of chivalry- Knight Companion of the Noblest Order of the Garter in Queen Elizabeth II's New Year's honours list. As of Wednesday, there were a total of 700,000 signatures on the online petition.
The opinion poll, published by UK polling company YouGov, revealed 63 per cent of Britons are opposed to Blair being knighted. The survey was based on responses from 2,441 Britons. It suggested that most Labour Party voters voted against the move.
The petition says Blair is "the least deserving person of any public honour". It calls for Blair to be held accountable for "war crimes", reported Aljazeera.
It added, "Tony Blair caused irreparable damage to both the constitution of the United Kingdom and to the very fabric of the nation's society. He was personally responsible for causing the death of countless innocent, civilian lives and servicemen in various conflicts,"
Blair, an ex-Labour Party leader served as UK's Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007. He has been facing criticism from UK people for his role in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, reported Aljazeera.
The 2003 Invasion of Iraq followed the removal of former President Saddam Hussein and his subsequent execution.
Despite the growing voices against Blair's knighthood, several leading politicians have spoken out in favour of him, reported Aljazeera.
( With inputs from ANI )
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