Protests Force Bush to Cancel Speech for Geneva

Former U. S. President George W. Bush should have been spending the end of this week in Geneva after giving a speech on behalf of the United Israel Appeal. However the Swiss public was not exactly happy about Bush visiting their country. United Israel Appeal was forced to cancel Bush's speaking engagement Saturday after news had spread about potential unrest and concerns for the former president's safety were raised.

The reason behind the threats of large-scale protests stem from comments made by Bush in his memoir "Decision Points" in which he states he had authorized waterboarding. These admissions triggered anger by various groups such as Amnesty International. These groups started a campaign to petition the Swiss government to open an investigation of Bush during his stay in Geneva. Their plan was to have him arrested and prosecuted while in Switzerland because of a international convention signed by the Swiss banning torture. The Swiss government stated they had no interest in investigating Bush, so threats of large protests at his speech were made. While it is unclear what made Bush cancel his trip, the threat of an investigation or the protests, it's a smart idea he decided to stay away.

Spencer Darrow

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/world/europe/06bush.html?ref=world