London mayor: West created terror

[Goldmund]

LONDON, England (CNN) -- London Mayor Ken Livingstone has said that Western "double standards" in the Middle East have contributed to the growth of Islamic extremism and terrorist groups such as al Qaeda.

Livingstone told BBC radio on Wednesday that Western intervention in the Middle East since the end of World War I had been motivated by a desire to control the flow of oil.

While condemning suicide bombings, Livingstone indicated that he recognized the conditions that had led Palestinians to take that route in Israel.

"Under foreign occupation and denied a right to vote, denied the right to run your own affairs ... I suspect that if it had happened here in England we would have produced a lot of suicide bombers ourselves," said Livingstone.

More: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/07/20/london.attacks.0712/index.html

[jobycom]

1. Wow. He'd have been crucified in America for speaking the truth.

Let's see how England responds.

[johannes1984]

2. calmly

It's a view held by most europeans ..naturaly i'm speaking for the contingent i've met ,but it's a view widely spread and appreciated from high school onward , part of the history curriculum .basicaly we know we're part of the ass holes who started this , yet we have much less of a hard time acknowledging it .

every nation has original sins to thank for current woe and worry , the problem in the 21st will be the ability to face and adapt to those , hopefully correcting them somewhat .

[ComerPerro]

5. He would have. He will be, even

People like OReally will jump all over him.

[iconoclastNYC]

3. This man's life is in jeopardy.

He'd better watch his back. The miliatary-industrial-oil complex has a lot riding on the war on terror.

[flordehinojos]

4. just voted on the CNN poll at the end of the article which asks,

Do you agree with UK PM Tony Blair that the London bombings were driven by "evil ideology" rather than opposition to any policy?

Yes 72% 22226 votes

No 28% 8691 votes
Total: 30917 votes



{ i voted "NO", which in my mind, supports Livingstone's absolutely keen and perceptive words that "Western "double standards" in the Middle East have contributed to the growth of Islamic extremism and terrorist groups such as al Qaeda." and "that Western intervention in the Middle East since the end of World War I had been motivated by a desire to control the flow of oil."}