Brian Haw: Find Your Courage; Share Your Vision; Change Your World. (T-shirt from Dan Wilkins, The Nth Degree.) Brian and Dan were both very pleased to have copies of the picture.
The news of Brian Haw’s death in a German hospital came as no surprise to me after his long illness, but it still was a shock and a feeling that the nation has lost a figure of importance, a man who almost single-handedly reminded us of the need for a national conscience and who dedicated his life to the cause of peace in ten years of protest in Parliament Square.
I have to admit I was slow to recognise the seriousness of his protest, and although I had photographed him earlier, on black and white film, the earliest picture I posted on My London Diary was only in October 2004, by which time, according to the notice, he had been in place for 1219 days.
At first I’d been put off by his concentration in the early days of his protest on the single issue of the suffering of children due to the sanctions, as well as by his fundamentalist Christian views. But his protest became more general about peace and I got to know him just a little and began to appreciate his sincerity and persistence, becoming a fairly regular visitor to Parliament Square, as well as photographing him in nearby protests.
Police drag demonstrator away as peace protestor Brian Haw holds a placard “War Kills the Innocent” in front of Cenotaph and Code Pink wreath, “How Many Will Die in Iraq Today?”. Whitehall, 7 Nov, 2004.
Serious organised crime and police bill: Haw addresses the Houses of Parliament
I began to drop in for a visit whenever I had a few minutes to spare and was in Central London, only bothering to take pictures if anything special was happening. And although like almost everyone else who visited I occasionally got on the wrong side of Brian’s temper, I kept on going, unlike many others. There were times when I didn’t agree with him, but I still felt it was important to support him and the continuing protest against the war, even or perhaps especially when many former supporters appeared to desert or turn against him. And I feel it was an honour to have known him and perhaps to have captured a little of his spirit in my pictures of him.
Visitors to Brian on the 7th anniversary of his protest.
Brian and some friends, Parliament Sq, 14 May 2006.
Police laughed at Brian Haw as he tried to make a complaint after an officer had pushed his camera into his face making it bleed.
Police arrest Brian and push him into back of a police van – he was released the following day after an extremely brief court appearance – the arrest was simply harassment by the police. 30 Oct 2009
Brian with a t-shirt with the front page of The Independent after the protest at the state opening of Parliament
Brian and Babs on the 9th anniversary of his protest, June 2010
Just after I took the portrait,police arrived to serve a warrant on Babs for using a megaphone – their idea of a 9th anniversary present.
I’d watched Brian’s health obviously deteriorating over the years, worn out by the continuous strain and hardships of his protest, and in particular by the harassment of the police and others – including at times gangs of army-trained thugs the police were somehow blind to see as they attacked the peace camp in the middle of the night. The pressure and also the periods of boredom in the square also meant that he was smoking heavily. It came as little surprise to find that he had been admitted to hospital in September 2010 with breathing problems and that a tumour had been found. Although he was certainly a man who would put up a hard fight – he’d always lived that way – the years in Parliament Square had taken a heavy toll on his general health. It’s true to say that Brian lived and died for peace.
All photographs on this site are copyright and may not be used without permission; payment required for all commercial usage.