'Could I answer? Thank you!' Peer SNAPS at John Humphrys in fiery debate on Syria
JOHN Humphrys was shut down by a Labour Peer during a fiery radio interview on the Peer's latest meeting with the Grand Mufti of Syria following the US-led attack on the Assad regime.
The BBC Radio 4 presenter asked Baroness Cox if she had questioned the Grand Mufti of Syria on the latest Amnesty International's accusation against the Syrian religious leader of signing death warrants for prisoners of Damascus.
Mr Humphries said: “When you met the Grand Mufti, did you bring up with him Amnesty International’s accusation, very firmly sourced accusation, that he signs the death warrants for people who are hanged in large numbers in prisons in Damascus?”
The crossbench Peer replied: “No, we didn’t. We had other things to discuss, we were there on the day of the missile attack.
“I think the thing to discuss was very much the missile attack. That was in our view and particularly reinforced by being there, it was illegal, it was unethical and it was dangerous.
“It was illegal, there was no mandate.”
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Mr Humphrys hit back by saying: “So for you, the missile attack was more important than the mass murder of people in prisons signed off by the Grand Mufti in Damascus?
“Why didn’t you bring it up?”
But as the BBC host continuously interrupted the Baroness as she attempted to give him an answer, the Peer snapped back: “Could I answer? Thank you.
“We’re there to listen to the people, and the people’s concern understandably at that time was the missile attack by the US, the UK and France.”
We had other things to discuss, we were there on the day of the missile attack
The pair were debating Baroness Cox's latest visit with a group of British Christian leaders to Damascus, hours after the US-led tripartite airstrike against the Assad regime.
The group, which also included Anglican priest Andrew Ashdown and south London vicar and columnist Giles Fraser, alongside Lord Dykes, met with the speaker of the People’s Council of Syria, Hammouda Youssef Sabbagh, 20 MPs, and the country’s Grand Mufti.
The group had made the visit to speak up for local Christians in the country.
The visit was planned before the overnight airstrikes earlier this month but went ahead in spite of it.
In a Tweet following the strikes, Giles Fraser described the bombing, which targeted alleged chemical weapons facilities, as “a disgrace.”
In another Tweet, he said: “Some people I have met talked about going onto their roofs to watch the US’s ‘firework display’.
"Most seem to have slept through it.”