Around 50 anti-war protestors staged a wake-up call, and a die-in early today (19 March) close to Jack Straw’s home. Temporarily blocking two possible exits from Jack Straw’s house, they delayed the Foreign Secretary’s departure by over 30 minutes.

The protestors gathered at Oval tube station at 6.30am and marched close to Jack Straw’s house bearing a coffin emblazoned with the slogan “War is not the answer.” Others carried five gravestones highlighting the 500,000 dead and wounded that the UN predicts will result from war.

The police prevented most of the demonstrators getting to Jack Straw’s door, although one protestor almost succeeded in locking himself onto Jack Straw’s gate. He was arrested for breach of peace?! (Who's breaching the peace? ed). Protected by large numbers of police, Jack Straw was finally able to depart to the chants of “Jack Straw. Stop this bloody war” at 7.40am.

Following his departure, 20 people took part in a ‘die-in’ lying on the ground in bandages and fake blood to the chilling recorded sounds of an air-raid siren and falling bombs. After the die-in, protestors agreed to stage weekly protests outside Jack Straw’s home.

The action outside Jack Straw’s home is part of a week of die-ins and non-violent direct action against the war. Die-ins have already blocked off Downing Street and the Foreign Commonwealth Office in London for several hours this week. Meanwhile protestors in Fairford damaged 30 supply vehicles used for servicing B52 bombers that will bomb Baghdad. More non-violent direct action events are being planned over the next few weeks.

Justin Alexander, a 24-year-old former investment banker took part in the die-in: “Having visited Iraq in 2001 and spent 6 months living with Iraqis in Jordan, I am immensely worried about my friends and their families in Baghdad who may be dead before this week is out. Jack Straw will soon have blood on his hands and we will hold him accountable for his war crimes.”

Nick Buxton, one of the organisers of the event said: “We succeeded today in bringing the reality of war to Jack Straw’s doorstep. We are angry that the British government has chosen to wage an unprovoked war of aggression on innocent Iraqi people. They have failed to listen to the British public and the international community. If they won’t listen, we will take our message to their homes and pledge our support for all non-violent direct action that disrupts this war.”