Brits protested the decision to knight Tony Blair, accusing the former prime minister of being a war criminal. “An imperial ‘honours’ system which knighted everyone from Mussolini to Jimmy Saville doesn’t really have a reputation to protect though, does it?”
Controversial former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II this week, sparking outrage from Brits who argued he should be in prison for his involvement in the Iraq War instead.
Blair was knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours’ list, alongside Covid-19 response officials Chris Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam. Blair received the Most Noble Order of the Garter – one of the most prestigious royal honours and the highest order of knighthood – and will now be able to use the title ‘Sir’.
In a statement, the former prime minister said it was “an immense honour” to be knighted.
“I am deeply grateful to Her Majesty the Queen. It was a great privilege to serve as Prime Minister and I would like to thank all those who served alongside me in politics, public service and all parts of our society, for their dedication and commitment to our country,” he declared.
In its own statement, the Royal Family said it was “graciously pleased” to knight Blair.
Many Brits, however, were disturbed by the announcement, with Blair remaining extremely controversial in the UK due to his involvement in the US and UK invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Tony Blair knighted for services to imperialism. The man should be in the dock of The Hague. What a shameful day,” tweeted political commentator Liam Young, while writer and activist Femi Oluwole questioned, “If I help create the next ISIS by destabilising an entire region under false pretences, can I get a knighthood too?”
Arise Sir Tony Blair, the mass-murdering War Criminal, liar and mountebank. It literally takes the biscuit. @TheBlairDoc
— George Galloway MP (@georgegalloway) December 31, 2021
Yes, Tony Blair deserves a trial at the Hague rather than a knighthood.
An imperial 'honours' system which knighted everyone from Mussolini to Jimmy Saville doesn't really have a reputation to protect though, does it? Blair can't disgrace what's already shameful.
— Ross Greer (@Ross_Greer) December 31, 2021
Tony Blair should be on trial for war crimes instead of being knighted.
What a joke. https://t.co/eL4fkdaUof
— George Aylett (@GeorgeAylett) December 31, 2021
GB News presenter Tonia Buxton said she was “sickened” by the decision to knight Blair, noting that the former PM “caused the deaths of so many,” while John Smith – the son of famous World War II veteran and writer Harry Leslie Smith – argued that by knighting Blair, “the Queen [is] saying it’s okay to kill brown people in their hundreds of thousands.”