Brian Haw R.I.P. (7 January
1949 – 18 June 2011)
Brian Haw's demonstration for peace at London’s Parliament
Square started in June 2001 and thus pre-dates the September 11th
attacks
and the US led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
His protest was initially against the injustice and suffering caused to
the people of Iraq
by the UN economic sanctions and the bombing of the country by the US
and UK.
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http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/06/480998.html
Parliament
Square
peace campaigner Brian Haw dies
by Paul O'Hanlon,
Indymedia UK, 19 June 2011
Long time Parliament Square peace campaigner Brian Haw has sadly passed
away in hospital in Germany after a long battle with lung cancer. He
was 62.
His nearly decade long presence in London’s Parliament Square
caused the establishment no end of problems. He was arrested many
times, was assaulted by an employee of the US Embassy and by an Israeli
– both assaults resulted in a broken nose and
hospitalisation. Parliament even brought in legislation (SOCPA -
Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005) specifically to get rid of
Brian and his protest by making it illegal to demonstrate within a one
kilometre radius of Parliament without police permission. However he
successfully argued that as his protest predated the legislation it did
not apply to him.
I first met Brian in 2002 and was so taken by his efforts that I tried
to get down to London from Edinburgh at least once a year. I wrote a
number of Indymedia reports – here is one from 2010 which
marked 9 years of the campaign in Parliament Square:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/06/452634.html
Brian’s heroic effort of living 24/7 in such austere
conditions will surely not be forgotten. The campaign he started will
continue with Melbourne born Barbara ‘Babs’ Tucker.
Here is the website for the campaign:
http://www.brianhaw.tv/index.php
As Brian himself would have said:
Love…peace…justice…for all.