SURREY, Canada (AFP) - Around 200 people protested against former US president George W. Bush's appearance at an economic forum in western Canada.

Bush came and went quietly in a motorcade at the rear of the Sheraton hotel in the city of Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver, as the demonstrators were held back by ranks of police officers.

"Torture criminals out of Canada" read one banner carried by a man in an orange prison jump suit similar to those worn by prisoners at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Other speakers at the one-day economic summit included former US president Bill Clinton and journalists from The Economist and The Wall Street Journal.


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Around 500 people paying $590 a head attended the event, which was closed to the media.

Protesters yelled "shame" at attendees as they arrived and left, but there were no outbursts of violence or arrests, police said.

"I find it atrocious that our mayor would bring a war criminal into our city," said student Karsten Cattrell, referring to Surrey mayor Dianne Watts who organized the conference.

Covered in fake blood, Cattrell carried a sign calling Bush a "war criminal" and told AFP he skipped classes at university where he is studying to be a teacher.

Last week, Amnesty International urged Canadian authorities to arrest and prosecute Bush if he visited the country, saying the former US president authorized "torture" when he directed the US-led war on terror.

In a memorandum submitted last month to Canada's attorney general but only more recently released to the media, the London-based group charged Bush has legal responsibility for a series of human rights violations.

"Canada is required by its international obligations to arrest and prosecute former president Bush given his responsibility for crimes under international law including torture," Amnesty's Susan Lee said in a statement.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, however, slammed Amnesty for "cherry picking cases to publicize, based on ideology."

Surrey resident Mehdi Barradi told AFP he and his family had joined the protest because he believes Bush is "responsible for so many deaths, he should be brought to justice."

© AFP -- Published at Activist Post with license

http://www.activistpost.com/2011/10/hundreds-protest-george-w-bush-visit-to.html

Yea I suppose there are those who haven't let it go.

They need to realize that as long as you are not having sex in the presidency here in this US there are certain perks to the job. One being not being prosecuted for war crimes when you are guilty of them.

Shrub was a puppet! Cheney is the MONSTER! All about profits for Haliburton and oil $$$ for the Arabs who actually sponsored 9/11!

I am inclined to agree with you there. Dick is the real monster and a few of his close sidekicks.

You should have wacthed it in the news....
Picket signs and all!
One sign stated....

"RCMP..... Arrest George Bush for War Crimes"

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police kept Canadians back from the event....

George Bush escaped the long arm of the law....

There is no justice in our supposed developed countries...

If the same situation happened in our cities and both countries, prison sentences would have been given out

Bush was his willing stooge.