Father threatens suicide in protest at soldier's death

[emad]

The Telegraph
By Sally Pook and Charles Clover
(Filed: 29/09/2004)


The father of a soldier killed in Iraq threatened to hang himself on the West Pier in Brighton yesterday, moments before Tony Blair's speech at the Labour Party conference.

Reginald Keys climbed a pylon at the front of the pier with a noose tied around his neck and told police he would jump.


Reginald Keys threatened to hang himself from a pylon

He called the Prime Minister a war criminal and demanded an apology for the death of his son, Lance-Corporal Thomas Richard Keys, 20, who was killed near Basra in June last year.

Mr Keys, 52, from Bala, north Wales, was persuaded to climb down after an hour and, clearly distraught, was comforted by police officers.

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[DU9598]

1. Comforted by police

This clearly happened in the UK. Here, he would have been roughed up and arrested for daring to disrupt an event of the administration.

I hope this man gets the help he needs and that his son rests in peace.

[Stew225]

2. How sad and heartbreaking. eom

[GCP]

3. I cannot imagine the pain these families are going through

Whether they're American, British, Iraqis, Poles, or whatever.

The whole world has been sent down a one-way trip to hell with this madman who was foisted on us by the SCOTUS and our absolutely LOUSY media. The American people as a whole don't know anything about the world and our part in it, or the real truth about political candidates. They then go into a polling booth and pick someone on the basis of who they'd rather have a beer with.

We have no real news reporting nowadays over here. I (tried to) watch CBS last night and I can't even remember the pap they put on after the first few minutes of headlines - apart from the piece they do about fallen soldiers. The rest is useless rubbish.

[Cha]

4. I'm sad for this father's pain!

I feel that the more vocal they are that maybe tony won't get his "thousands more" for for Iraq!

I'm so glad he was talked down from the pier in Brighton..that is quite a startling picture..I imagine it was carthartic for him..I hope so!

[Moderator]

5. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=872439