Record £30,000 plus raised by lunchtime
Roger Bacon and Reg Keys, whose sons were killed in Iraq, announced this morning that the Iraq-War Families Campaign Group (IFCG) has launched a crowd-funding initiative to raise funds to determine if a legal action can be brought against those responsible for the Second Iraq War.
Previously, the ICFG’s legal team have been working pro bono but the size and complexity of the Chilcot report mean that proper funding is now required to examine all the possible issues raised.
If the lawyers decide that there are grounds for a civil legal action then the ICFG — the key group campaigning for the interests of the 179 British military personnel killed in Iraq — will apply for legal aid to support it. If they conclude there are no such grounds then, at least, the group will know they have examined every possibility.
Roger Bacon, whose son Maj Matthew Bacon died in the war, said:
Our determination to find answers has been redoubled by Sir John’s excoriating view of the Establishment’s tragic and error-strewn display. We must now ensure every iota of the report is analysed in depth, to determine whether there are potential legal cases to follow up. And to help us, we ask the British public to take action.
His campaign colleague Reg Keys, whose son lance corporal Tom Keys died in the war, said:
The public support the Families have received over the years has been unstinting. With the Report’s publication, we now have the evidence that may mean individuals could now face trial. We hope and trust the British people will take this unique opportunity to help us determine what legal actions can be taken and support the campaign to get justice for our loved ones and our country.
At time of writing the group had raised over £30,000 — only the junior doctors challenging Jeremy Hunt have raised so much so quickly.
Matthew Jury, a founding partner of McCue & Partners the lawyers representing the group, said:
The Report told us what went wrong and who was responsible but it was not a court of law. If they can, the Families are determined to hold those individuals to account by bringing them to trial to answer for their actions. Not just for them or their loved ones, but to ensure that never again will our politicians act with such impunity in taking our country into an unjust war with such tragic consequences. This is the Families’ and the British people’s only chance for justice.
The CrowdJustice page can be found here.