Volunteers stage nonstop reading of 2.6 million-word Chilcot report
A group of actors, writers, politicians and volunteers are staging a reading of the entire Chilcot Report, the inquiry into the British role in the Iraq War, during this year's Edinburgh Fringe festival.
The 24/7 non-stop performance, which started on Aug. 8 with comedians Arthur Smith, Nish Kumar, Shappi Khorsandi and Mark Thomas, will continue for around two weeks in order to cover the sheer size of the report, which was published last month.
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With its 2.6 million words, the report is the end result of an enormous independent inquiry launched in 2009 by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown into the UK's involvement in the 2003 war in Iraq.
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Up to six people will alternate duties every hour, with the whole document being read at a pace of around 120 words per minute in a tiny garden shed by a double decker bus.
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The reading will also be aired live for those who want to watch online.
"Respectfully, humbly, and relentlessly, with a cast of thousands," the organizers of Iraq Out & Loud said on the website.
"Why???? Well that is the key question surrounding British involvement in the 2003 American-led invasion of Iraq! Why? Why? Why?," the organization said.
"In 2009 the British government admitted that even they didn’t know the answer and asked a man called John Chilcot to set up an enquiry."
The inquiry issued a damning indictment of how the UK, with former Prime Minister Tony Blair at the forefront, joined the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq without a satisfactory legal basis or proper planning.
