Statements

Read Blair’s statement here.

Read Bush’s statement here.

Blair: Here at the summit, the world's leaders are striving to combat world poverty and save and improve human life. The perpetrators of today's attacks are intent on destroying human life.

Bush: The contrast between what we've seen on the TV screens here, what's taken place in London and what's taking place here is incredibly vivid to me. On the one hand, we have people here who are working to alleviate poverty, to help rid the world of the pandemic of AIDS, working on ways to have a clean environment. And on the other hand, you've got people killing innocent people. And the contrast couldn't be clearer between the intentions and the hearts of those of us who care deeply about human rights and human liberty, and those who kill -- those who have got such evil in their heart that they will take the lives of innocent folks.

Gentlemen, would it be possible to let the sites of this tragedy cool off before you start to exploit it? It’s appallingly inappropriate to treat the occasion of your first official statements as yet another opportunity to reinforce the good vs. evil mantra. Have you no shame?

Meanwhile, the Pope has described the attacks as "anti-Christian," which is spectacularly stupid and unnecessarily inflammatory, considering how non-religious Britain is; as it happens, a recent survey found that even though only 3% of Britain’s population practices Islam, more people attend Friday prayers than go to Sunday church. Statistically speaking, these terrorists were likely to kill or injure a practicing Muslim than a practicing Christian, so let’s tone down the fucking rhetoric that is not only factually inaccurate but plays directly into the hands of the madmen who see this as a bloody holy war. Totally irresponsible.