Boris slammed by ex-MI6 chief over call for protests
THE former head of MI6 has urged Boris Johnson to be more cautious after the Foreign Secretary called for anti-war protests outside the Russian embassy.
Sir John Sawers, who ran the Secret Intelligence Service from 2009 to 2014, indicated the politician’s comments could risk retaliation against British diplomats in Russia.
Mr Johnson has been roundly criticised for his ‘shameful’ call for demonstrations against the bombing of Syria.
Russia accused him of ‘Russophobic hysteria’ and said his claims Moscow had committed ‘every deadly sin was a storm in a teacup full of muddy London water’.
Sir John said: ‘We all have to be a little bit careful and mindful of the security of our embassy in Moscow when we think about calling for demonstrations here in London.’
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he added: ‘We need to be careful about the consequences of things we call for.’ He also highlighted the attack on the UK’s base in Iran by protesters in 2011 when crowds stormed the embassy. Even Stop the War campaigners hit back against Mr Johnson’s remarks and refused to protest, saying they did not want to contribute to the ‘jingoism and hysteria’ whipped up against Russia.
In an emergency debate on Syria in the Commons on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said Vladimir Putin was in danger of turning his country into an ‘international pariah’ because of its bombing of civilians. He said there was ‘ no commensurate horror’ among anti-war protest groups and said he would like to see demonstrations outside the Russian embassy by the Stop the War coalition.
Mr Johnson’s comments sparked a furore in Russia and created a diplomatic storm as Moscow accused British MPs of being on the ‘wrong side of history’. Mr Johnson also told the Commons that all evidence pointed at Moscow being behind an attack on an aid convoy in September, which would make Russia guilty of war crimes.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence published a fierce statement in response and the embassy called for proof from the British Foreign Office that Russia had committed war crimes in Syria. Russian Major General Igor Konashenkov said: ‘The Russophobic hysteria of certain members of the British establishment is no longer impressive.
‘The frenzy that has gripped... Boris Johnson, who accuses Russia of committing every deadly sin, is a storm in a teacup full of muddy London water.’
He insisted none of his aircraft was in the area at the time of an attack on the aid convoy.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov ‘reminded’ Mr Johnson about the obligation to ensure the security of foreign diplomatic missions in the UK.
He said: ‘The Foreign Secretary certainly knows about the Vienna Convention and the UK responsibility for the security of the diplomatic missions on its territory.’
Stop the War vice-chairman Chris Nineham responded by saying he would not support or go on a protest outside the Russian embassy.
He said the group would only protest against the West, adding: ‘If we have a protest outside the Russian embassy it wouldn’t make a blind bit of difference as to what Putin does because we are in Britain and we are in the West.’