Dear sisters and brothers,

We want to let you know about changes we’re making to the Parliament Square Community Picket after consulting the regulars. As you know, we’ve been there with our open mic, Monday to Friday 5.30 to 7 pm, since before the bombing of Iraq began.

First, we want to say how much the Picket has meant to us and to many others. The picket allows those of us denied a political voice to express our horror at the uncaring priorities of killing in the building across the road where they vote for bombings and occupations. We start with targeting military budgets, which have robbed communities across the world of what we desperately need for survival. For example, despite massive military spending, there is still no clean drinking water not only in Iraq but in much of the world, including increasingly in Palestine.

Our continued presence there is clearly an embarrassment to the government and to MPs who don’t wish to be reminded of the great anti-war movement in this country and everywhere in the world, which they have tried to silence and ignore. They regularly send police to intimidate us with the excuse that our anti-war speeches and chanting and songs are interfering with the workings of Parliament. Even some MPs who voted against the war but are not too keen on any democracy that goes beyond voting for them, have tried to silence us. Lynne Jones crossed the road to tell us that the people on our picket looked ‘undignified’ – none of us wore power suits at the time (though some of the people who join us do) and some of us have dreadlocks.

Their latest attempt to prevent the grassroots representing ourselves directly comes from MP Graham Allen. He has tabled a new clause to the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill to enable the Secretary of State to ‘disperse’ ‘individuals forming part of any permanent or semi-permanent group in Parliament Square’. You’ll be hearing from us soon about practical ways to counter this repressive proposal.

The 24-hour Peace Camp, started and largely maintained by Brian Haw for the last two years, is the backbone of all protests in the Square. It has had an impact on all who come across it (it’s not exactly advertised in the media!) – visitors from many countries take news of Brian’s uncompromising protest against war back to their home countries. Along with other anti-war activities, it has no doubt helped prevent some deaths – though these ‘democratic’ governments rarely admit that our opposition influences them.

There have been ongoing attempts to evict Brian. Westminster Council took him to court, and the police have taken his posters, mementos, etc., items which are priceless to him and others and irreplaceable. Brian has demanded compensation for this. (The Picket will report on outcomes.) Instead of giving up, Brian has won a precedent ruling on human rights grounds that protects everyone’s right to protest. And the Picket has added visibility, numbers and a louder voice. It is all this that Graham Allen wants to defeat, which none of us can allow.

The police keep threatening to shut us down, harassing us regularly to turn down the sound system (which they took away on one occasion but had to give back), or finding other petty excuses. There are clearly some police who are sympathetic to our presence in the Square. But in the course of fighting to stay, we discovered that there are groups of police not accountable to their local station but to Scotland Yard whose job is to roam London and intimidate or shut down any political protest they come upon.

Many people have commented that the peace camp and the picket are places of sanity against the lies and censorship that surround our lives. People come there to swap the latest news with Iraqi women, Eritrean asylum seekers, Palestinians, Congolese, as well as to learn from anti-war movements around the world,

We know that although the bombing has stopped, people in Iraq are still dying. And wars promoted by Western financial interests and governments are killing thousands, even millions, in many countries. The war in Congo, which according to Congolese people who have spoken on the Picket is not the tribal war it is described as, is the latest example. Some of us in London have also seen with our own eyes how our sisters in Uganda (a country ruled by a US/UK friend who spends 75% of its national budget on the military) must walk miles to dig dirty water from the sand and must raise children with that. This is our world and these are our people. With the US threatening to bomb a list of other countries, including Cuba, the Picket and the peace camp are more vital than ever.

To protect the Peace Camp and the Picket, and defend the right of anyone to protest in front of Parliament, we want to hold larger pickets two days a week, rather than have smaller ones five days a week. From now on we’ll be there on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5.30 to 7 pm. A number of Picket people have committed to coming regularly on one or both of these days.

We hope anti-war groups of every variety will use the open mic on Wednesdays to report what they are doing and achieving, and the problems they’re having. We now have two mics so we can have open dialogue. It is vital that the grassroots is directly in contact with the grassroots, not via ‘leaders’ who are sometimes interested in their own power rather than the power of protest, and who are often dismissive of any actions without ‘big names’.

We want to make Thursday an evening with music and other anti-war entertainment. We’ve discovered a lot of hidden talent in Parliament Square – poets, musicians, singers and songwriters. We invite all who can sing, play an instrument or perform in other ways to book your star turn!

Though we will be in the Square fewer evenings, we want to give Brian more support. There are people (mostly women of course!) who have been providing food and other supplies. Would you be able to help with this? All are urged to spend time there as often as you can.

We’re organising to fight this latest form of parliamentary repression, which we want to discuss with everyone committed to the Peace Camp or the Community Picket. We look forward to your continuing participation and support, and hope that others will join us. The Women’s Centre also welcomes visitors and volunteers, women and men.

On Sunday 1 June from 12 onwards some of us will be going down to mark the 2nd anniversary of the peace camp with Brian. Please join us.

See you in Parliament Square!

Power to the Peace Camp and the Community Picket. We shall not be moved.