Stop The War: 2006-2009

These are the final set of my pictures that went into the final edit for the Stop The War book, several of which were used. There were probably more pictures sent in for these later years, although I think the coverage of them in the book is weaker.

© 2006 Peter Marshall
November 2006, Whitehall

© 2006 Peter Marshall
November 2006, Downing St

© 2006 Peter Marshall
November 2006, Whitehall

There were three pictures from the wreath-laying by military families on Remembrance Day in November 2006, with Rose Gentle and others laying wreaths. They weren’t actually my favourite images from the day, but ones that I thought represented the event better – I think my best work concentrated more on the people involved.  Two of these in particular I think are critically dependent on being in colour, making use of the wreaths of red poppies. Take away that foreground wreath in the lower image and you are left with a very ordinary view of a line of people that would certainly have ended in my reject bin.

© 2007 Peter Marshall
February 2007, Hyde Park

© 2007 Peter Marshall
February 2007, Trafalgar Square

© 2007 Peter Marshall
March 2007, Parliament Square

© 2008 Peter Marshall
March 2008, Hyde Park

© 2008 Peter Marshall
Jan 2009, Kensington

Stop The War – 10 Years‘ is I think an important book about an important subject, and one that is in general terms a very handsome volume, with some superb art work and some pretty decent snaps. One that I’m sure many people will buy and enjoy. It’s a book that I’m pleased to have my work in, although I wish some of the images had been treated with greater respect and sensitivity; a couple in particular were used so badly that on looking through the book I actually failed to recognise them as mine.

In some respects – as might be expected – this is a very political book, one that treats its subject from a particular sectarian viewpoint, and one which is not shared by all who took part in the events it depicts.  As well as the stories it tells there are also people and stories missing from its narrative almost as if by a Soviet ‘airbrush’ ; ‘Stop The War’ was a coalition but one largely dominated and driven from a particular perspective which was only a part of a wider anti-war movement. In some ways my own files over the period tell a fuller story, and perhaps one which may emerge before too long on Blurb.

Many other photographers also produced notable images of some of these events. Some have told me in no uncertain terms that there was no way they would donate their work to ‘Stop The War’, who on at least one occasion generated a photographers’ protest, when along with others I sat down on Park Lane in front of one of the march, disgusted at the treatment of photographers by the march stewards, demanding that we be allowed to work.  Along with other photographers I’ve been pushed, threatened and assaulted on various occasions by ‘Stop The War’ stewards (and often had others apologising to me for the way I was treated) and I once narrowly avoided serious injury when sent flying backwards.

This is also a book that records and celebrates what was a failure. We didn’t stop the war. Despite getting millions out a a march and the support of a majority of the British people. Despite fighting speeches at events by Tony Benn and some others, ‘Stop the War’ failed to think and act in a radical fashion at the critical times and seemed locked into outdated modes of action; ‘Stop The War Dinosaur‘ when we needed ‘Stop The War Uncut‘. It was a battle where we had the support of the people and we could and should have won.

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