As long as it takes
"I want to go back to my own kids and look them in the face again knowing that I've done all I can to try and save the children of Iraq and other countries who are dying because of my government's unjust, amoral, fear - and money - driven policies. These children and people of other countries are every bit as valuable and worthy of love as my precious wife and children."
How many must die?
Brian started his 24/7 vigil in 2001 to protest about the suffering of Iraqis during the 1990s because of economic sanctions. He continues because of all those who have, and continue, to suffer as a result of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. In Oct 2004 The Lancet estimated that 100,000 Iraqis have died. In Oct 2006 it was estimated that 655,000 people have died in Iraq as a result of the 2003 invasion (see more here). And how many millions of other lives have been blighted for ever?
Send Brian a postcard of support c/o Parliament Square, London SW1A
This photo was taken by Gemma Day in Dec 04 for an Independent on Sunday article. See all media articles
Mark Thomas, comedian and campaigner, 2004
" ...Now they wish to evict Brian from his place of protest. Maybe because he is an embarrassment to such a war mongering government. Whatever their reason it is wrong. A democracy that can not stand one man and some placards outside its front doors doesn't seem to have much faith in itself. That is why I support Brian for Parliament."
The heroic Brian Haw
Letter in The Independent, 2 Aug 05
Sir: Brian Haw has struck a major blow for international peace in his passive defiance of government aggression in the face of his peace protest (report, 30 July). I cannot think of anyone who has sacrificed as much as he has on a personal level in the cause of peace in this country and I would like to see him being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Andrew Stephenson, Newhaven, East Sussex
Jenny Jones, GLA Green Party Gp, 23 May 06
"In my view, Brian is doing us all an amazing service. He is the visible presence of widespread opposition to the aggression on Iraq and a constant reminder to both the Blairs (PM and Met Commissioner) that this government is out of touch with the people it wants to govern. If Brian is moved, it means a loss of civil liberties that will diminish the whole of society."
Brian shortlisted for Human Rights Award
"For outstanding commitment to justice by maintaining constant vigil outside parliament demanding respect for the human rights of those in other countries. For tireless and passionate defence of freedom of speech."
The 2005 award is organised by the human rights campaigning organisation Liberty and Justice and The Law Society and is sponsored by the Bar Council. See here.
John McDonnell MP
'The Government will be passing power to one part of the state to control demonstrations in a way that we have never known before in the history of this country. Tonight, we are seeing a small but significant part of our democratic tradition being chiselled away. Why? Because one person out there has the moral authority, the guts, the tenacity and the courage to stand in Parliament square for several years telling us what we did wrong in this House by authorising a war. Part of the motivation behind this legislation is that some people cannot come to terms with the illegality and immorality of their actions in this place. We should be supporting that democratic voice out there, and the right of that individual to voice his concerns in this way—near to us.
Commons debate in Feb 05 on the passing of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act (SOCPA) which banned unauthorised protest near Parliament. See more
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return to articles
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=591738
Power of one
From the dogged anti-war maverick to the bird lover who wanted
to see the great bustard return to our shores, Peter Stanford
meets the lone crusaders who tried to make a difference in 2004
12 December 2004
Brian Haw : 'Stop killing innocent children'
In the three-and-a-half years since he set up his stall opposite
the Palace of Westminster, Brian Haw has only left his peace vigil
three times. Each time was to go to hospital after he had been
beaten up. On the last occasion, his nose was broken. His assailant
had an American accent and Haw believes that he was a marine.
"I'd like to go back to Birmingham to see my seven children," says
55-year-old Haw, a devout Christian. "But how could I look
them in the face unless I knew that I'd done all I could to save
the children of Iraq and other countries who are dying because
of my government's unjust policies."
He arrived on 2 June 2001, and put up a small display of placards
protesting the deaths of children because of sanctions against
Iraq. It is believed that his vigil, now close to 1,300 days, is
the longest one-man protest in British history. And it is clearly
getting to his targets. Last month, the Home Office added an amendment
to a bill to tackle serious crime to ban such continuous vigils
from Parliament Square.
He sleeps under tarpaulin each night. "The
hunting ladies are allowed a tent when they come, but the police
told me I might
have a missile launcher inside mine. Whenever I start feeling sorry
for myself, I think about the children in the mountains of Afghanistan
who are sheltering in caves because of our policies. I don't know
what it is going to take to stop this madness. All I know is that
this is what I feel I can and must do."
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