[Water Lily]

DUSTIN HOFFMAN BACKS MIRROR CAMPAIGN Feb 7 2003

By Fiona Cummins

DUSTIN HOFFMAN yesterday topped the list of celebrities backing the Daily Mirror campaign to stop an attack on Iraq without UN endorsement.

In a stinging attack on George Bush the Oscar-winning actor said: "The most painful aspect of 9/11 is the way the administration has taken its events and manipulated the grief of my country. Where is the aggression from Iraq?" He accused Bush of hoodwinking people about the reasons for war, saying: "I believe it is really about money, oil, power and suits."

Launching a tirade against power-hungry politicians, Hoffman, 65, said: "They make you believe the lie. For them, the most important aspect is being re-elected and when that is the goal, all bets are off with the truth.

"We are being stampeded into something and nothing seems be able to stop it.

Adding his signature to the 182,000 names on the Daily Mirror's Not In Our Name petition, he added: "The Iraq issue has made me increasingly angry. We are not being told the truth. but we still have a chance to change things. Voices have to be heard. War should not be inevitable."

Two Lord of the Rings stars signed our petition - Andy Serkis, who plays evil Gollum and Dominic Monaghan, who plays Hobbit Merry.

Serkis, 38, fears for the life of cousins in Iraq. He said: "I'm worried. My family's homes were bombed to smithereens last time and it will happen again. I hope your campaign makes people sit up and take notice."

Other stars signing our petition included Samantha Morton, named best British actress at the Empire Film Awards for her part in Minority Report, Oscar-winner Benicio del Torro and comedian Steve Coogan.

Author Jilly Cooper also backed our campaign. She said: "We lose the moral high ground if we crash in before the UN gives the word."