British Muslim
Like anyone in the world, there are good people and bad people. It is not about black, white, british, American or anything else. She is representing a Government who are responsible for almost 250000 iraqi civilians deaths. thousands of Orphans and Widows. 9/11 was digusting and wrong. Instead of acting properly, they have just added to the number of widows and orphans. In a time when because of them, people are dying daily, she's strutting around in football grounds....It makes me sick.
brendan shiel
Good on you Jack, you really put Blackburn on the map, these pictures went all around the world.
Ron, Leyland
We should welcome her here with real Lancashire hospitality, as a representative of a great country and our closest ally. We should not give in to a noisy minority.
Very Concerned
The messages are missing the point! Throughout the whole of the UK there is a fundemental disbelief in the morality of this war, it doesn't matter if people are bussed in or not for street protests, ( I didn't know it was a game!) the mood of the country is of general unease and continues to be so, Condoleezza and Straw have failed to understand this core of doubt and resentment felt thoughout the UK. Blackburn is not alone.
ken lttlejohn
how very sad for society that democracy is abused by people who have the right but not the intelligence to understand what happens in countries that haven,t got our democacy as of right fought for & died for by ancestors who knew what they where fighting for unfortunatley we don,t comprehend that it,s ours all of us no exceptions it is abused by the by but still we our in this great democracy freedom not cuban freedom but real freedom exprestion without compromise
paul carter
why should condoleeza rice not visit the north west, every day someone with stature visits capital cities all over the world, it is nice for a small town like blackburn to be graced with someones presence as famous as she is.
The media interviewed mainly moslem people and recieved a very biased dialogue and feedback about Iraq and not the other world issues that the majority view on a daily basis. I for one am glad that she deemed it suitable to visit us up in the north and also graced the best football team in the north west.
stephen hoffman
Right u so called protestors , do u care what saddam hussein . However bad america has done it can't compare to 20 years of saddams iraq. Open your side up to the other side , challenge your views , because if you can't be bothered to have your views challenged then their is no point in you being in a democratic country
James Lennon
The last Blackburn had 4,000 police on duty was when Gandi visited in 1931...I wonder if his first visit was to a fighter plane factory too?
Chris Kyle
All day today, while escorting his favourite gal about town, Jack Straw bore the appearance of a man who'd won a 'Spend a Day With Condi' competition instead of looking like the British foreign secretary! If he'd asked her for an autograph I wouldn't have been in the least surprised. A very silly little man who, I hope, will be dealt with accordingly once Brown sorts the wheat from the chaff
Roberto Alvarez
As a BBC Listener in Miami Florida, I am not surprised that some people in America are not familiar with Jac Straw. The majority of the US Citizens are familiar with "The Simpsons" than with the Constitution.
What right does Rice have in talking about democracy when the Republicans and Democrats use bully tactics against alternative parties such as the Libertarians and Greens. The demonstrators should also had Human Rights in America to their agenda.
PAUL WOODRUFF
OF COURSE IT SHOULD GO AHEAD ALL THOSE MOANERS AND PROTESTERS SHOULD BE GLAD THEY ARE ABLE TO STAND IN THE STREET AND SPEAK FREELY,ITS LIKELY MOST OF THEM WOULDNT BE ABLE TO DO SO IN THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN,IT SEEMS TO BE ACCEPTABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS TO STAND IN THE STREET AND PREACH,TERRORISM AND ACTS OF TREACHERY AGAINST THIS COUNTRY AND ITS INHABITANTS,BUT NOT FOR AN AMERICAN REPRESENTATIVE TO VISIT,JACK STRAW IS AN ELECTED MEMBER OF THIS GOVERNMENTHE INVITED HER, WHO ARE THESE SMALL NUMBER OF PLACARD WAVING INDIVIDUALS ANYWAY.
Kevin, Bolton
Having read some of the comments made by the silly biased people I really feel that there is no hope for this country. This is a free land and whoever wishes to visit ought to be allowed to do so
Stuart G
Although the anti war demonstratons by a small minority where inevitable, I was disappointed at the focus the media gave to this small part of the day.Thanks for the visit Condoleezza and good luck.
Craig Jackson
Yes it should go ahead Condoleeza is an amzing person and this allows us to form a stronger partnership with the US. We are all British in Blackburn arent we, so protesting against our seacurity in the wider world is wrong! UK & USA together as one.
Joe
How disgusting that we show Ms Rice this kind of welcome.
Blackburn should be ashamed of itself. And I would not be surprised if no-one ever went there again!
Blair was right...there is a lack of Respect in the UK...mostly in the North by the sounds of things!!
d. webster
go home
YES
We have had many people coming to the area expressing opposing views to those of Rice, in a democracy, it is only right that she should be welcomed to put her side.
Ken
Daniel Ratcliffe
I'm a Blackburn resident and was at Pleckgate to see Ms Rice visit. The hundreds of police officers present (some told me they were all the way from Lancaster) must have cost us a fair whack. Nobody I spoke to at the protest was at all interested in hurting Ms Rice, they just wanted to express their anger. The more we hide politicians away like they tried to at the school the less they represent us at all.
Arnold
Of course it should and it is. She is an excellent example of a person who has worked hard and no doubt overcome predjudices and barriers to achive her position. She is an excellent role model even to many of the blinkered people who have misplaced alliances. I support the UK-US special relationship and long may it continue, good luck Condoleezza.
Martin Carter
Technically she is a war criminal - "pre-emptive war" is illegal and immoral.
Andrew Rothwell
Any opportunity we get to hurl eggs and abuse at that woman is a good opportunity.
Paul Darbyshire
Yes. I think it is good for her to see a working class town in the North-West of England and again this is good press for the town of Blackburn.
Dr Steve Tinston (Helmshore, lancs.)
Yes. The people of Blackburn should be proud of the visit by The American Secretary of State and the people of the country as a whole should be proud of the relationship between the UK and the US that this visit, in some small way, represents. Long may both last.
Brian E.
Rice's visit to a British mosque is meaningless in the scope of the international situation. Her visit will be used politically by the republican party to show that Rice is visiting mosques and is accepted by the muslim people - but fail to indicate that the mosque is not in the middle east, but rather in the UK.
A stagging of events, that GW is well known using politically.
Samira
Deport her immediately!!She is a war criminal.
Evans Chisanga
Is it not ironic that the same minority anti-war voices that were ignored before and during the war are now being covered by each and every media organisation in this country? It was you the media, led by the BBC, that showed us LIVE pictures of American B52 bombers taking off for Iraq with running commentary that was nothing less than glorifying! Let Condi visit in peace. She is a source of inspiration for many, many people.
Sarah
No! Get her out of Britain, she should be deported immediately.
david Hinchcliffe
I think she should be able to go where she want's to go after all its a free country isan't it,Or is it,
anna capitani
No,it shouldn't
