MULHOLLAND SLAMS GOVT FOR SILENCING FAMILIES OF DEAD SOLDIERS

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 15th Sep 2006

Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West today voiced strong criticism of the Labour Government when it was revealed that grieving families of the Iraq war dead will be banned from staging a peaceful protest against the Iraq war during the Labour Party conference. Labour officials have black-listed Military Families Against The War from pitching a peace camp near to the site of the upcoming annual Labour Party conference to be held in Manchester.

Commenting, Greg said: "This cowardly action shows Labour's contempt for the families of servicemen and women who were sent in to an illegal war in Iraq that was supposed to be about democracy, but this behaviour is anything but democratic.

"At last years conference, Labour threw out an 82-year old refugee, now they are denying these families the right to protest, simply because this Government is afraid of criticism. "They should concentrate on Governing the country rather than trying to silence legitimate criticism of their failures."