London Indymedia

SOCPA - a cold christmas in parliament square

rikki | 25.12.2006 14:57 | SOCPA | Anti-militarism | Repression | London

brian haw maintains his peace vigil in parliament square and is there today with supporters including steve jago and barbara tucker.

brian's christmas tree
brian's christmas tree

the pink tree
the pink tree

brian and supporters on christmas day
brian and supporters on christmas day


brian has maintained constant vigil for more than five and a half years now day and night in all weathers. he is still fighting off every attempt to remove him and court cases continue in january.

indymedia will continue to follow his story and his battle to stop the genocide and torture that our government carries out in our name.

rikki
- e-mail: rikkiindymedia@googlemail.com

Comments

Hide the following 13 comments

Brian Haw Bemused by New Condition

25.12.2006 20:54


Whatever next?

British Broadcasting Orifice


not in my name

25.12.2006 21:55

excuse me but the killing really is not in my name - my name is not th United Kingdom, or Britain, or New Labour, the British armed forces, the UK government etc etc. I did not vote for them and never have and I have never supported the military that serves them. the country of my birth is an accident of birth. I feel no pride or loyalty to that country or the monarchy that claims it. please do not apply your nationalistic notions to me.

the invasion and occupation of Iraq is no more in my name than the gassing of the kurds was

ok?


ok? not in your name

26.12.2006 00:17

i think you'll find that in our 'democracy', the bombing, genocide and torture IS in your name. that's the problem you see?

i presume you didn't vote for blair on either occasion? nor did i.
i presume you believe that he has committed war crimes and should be tried? if so, so do i.

but various people have tried to point these things out, and tried to have him arrested, or tried to intervene in his various crimes against humanity, and those people have found that in our 'democratic' country, his crimes have been committed in all our names and any attempt to act against him is an act against our 'democracy'. these people have been outlawed, demonised, harrassed, arrested, even tortured!

so while he is still in power and not behind bars, i am afraid he is still acting 'in our name', however much you wish that weren't the case.

of course i, like you, can stand up and say "well, he's not acting in MY name", but the facts of the way our society is currently structured and run mean that actually he can carry on claiming that he is, and if we protest too loudly we are acting 'undemocratically'.

rikki


Whatever happens to one happens to all

26.12.2006 00:44

Let's ignore the nation state... or not maybe. Though many of us living on this land mass may not have voted for new labour etc. as we live here we unfortunately however grudgingly are accepting their rule. It's more or less impossible not to benefit from the spoils of British Imperialism living here one way or another so I don't think that it's neccesarily nationalistic to say that it's being done in our name. Until we are totally free from the British Empire, until we destroy it, we are its servants, however unwilling which is why we have to shout all the louder/fight all the harder. (isn't that such wonderful rhetoric!?!) I think that 'not in my name' is an anti-nationalist statement. I guess it can be both. How about something like what Bill Hick's said, along the lines of 'I'm for the war but against the troops' ?

Everyone


facist warmongers through history

26.12.2006 13:01

if someone with an extremely narcissistic personality and a hominoid instinct to find any reason to slaughter other humans becomes head of a country/government/army surely history shows us again and again what the awful outcome is
tony blair has enacted his crimes against humanity just like george bush under a justifying banner of 'protecting' democracy
it doesnt matter what they or we call it,in the end it is the number of dead who cant speak for themselves that tell the story
and it is because only those who remember the dead can tell the real story that blair doesnt want brian,barbara,maya,milan,rikki,steve and others to be free to remind us
drawing attention to bliars war crimes has become a criminal offence in this country while he so far continues to get away with it
the actions and orders of blair and bush have led to the loss of more innocent civilian life than all the terrorist organisations combined in this new century and the last
that is the depth of their bullshit hypocrisy war on terror

mike d
mail e-mail: solidaritypark@hotmail.com
- Homepage: http://www.myspace.com/solidaritypark


Channel 4 Political Awards 2006

26.12.2006 14:44

I have sent this following nomination to  news@channel4.com. You may want to do similar.

I would like to nominate Brian Haw for the Most Inspiring Political Figure of 2006.

For over 5 years Brian has continously demonstrated in Parliament Square against the so called War on Terror.

He protests on behalf of those innocent people who suffer and die in other countries, as our governments seek to further their own economic, military, political and strategic interests around the world.

Despite numerous attempts to stifle Brian's demonstration since 2001, including the disgraceful SOCPA legislation, he has stood firm to stand up for all that is good in our country and against the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Brian, and his display, have also suffered at the hands of aggressive individuals on numerous occasions but even this has not deterred him from his mission. He is without doubt my Most Inspiring Political Figure of 2006.

Shaunyboy


Not in my name either.

27.12.2006 06:39

If I don't vote at all and refuse to acknowledge the government's democratic right to govern, because it only has the support of 21% of the electorate, how can its actions possibly be in my name? As to the Empire, most of the income from it goes to the rich and any small benefit I might derive is easily offset by the taxes I have to pay.

Alf Narkist


Not in my name?

27.12.2006 12:55

Not in my name, you really need to wake up and smell the coffee.

If you are in employment and you pay taxes... your pennies help to fund genocide.

If you pay a court fine or a parking ticket or any sum of monies into the coffers of Tony and his cronies, you are aiding and abetting a war criminal.

Maybe you are not British nor English, like myself, and yet the laws of this country and of the international community still apply to you and yours and crimes are committed by our government in whose name?

In the name of peace?

In the name of justice?

In the name of democracy?

In the name of God?

Quite frankly, if you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the apathy that allows this dictatorship to rule the English with lies and hypocrisy; you are part of the apathy that allows the Governor General to spout such B.S. as:

..."It has been necessary to balance the rule of law against the national interest..." (or some crap to that extent) Lord Goldsmith.

In England, the rule of law is now aparently not in line with the national interests when BAE contracts are at stake and investigations of corruption are buried by the chief idiot lawyer of this country.

The Saudi's were getting nervous and thinking of pulling the BAE contracts that produce the weapons that commit murder of many nationalities, including their children, in our name. The bombs are being built on our soil and paid for by who?

If we fund the bombs, we build the bombs, we legislate their illegal use, we deny justice, democracy and the hope for peace that Brian Haw stands for.

Not in my name, you might as well say that it's not your problem... you didn't vote for that idiot BM/PM you don't work at BAE, not your choice, not your concern, yada, yada, yada...

Apathy and comments of apathy towards genocide is why this government has the ability to do what it does, in all our names, whether you accept reality or not.

If you were to ask the Iraqi's who is their enemy, who is exterminating their children? I suppose it would be the Congolese... or perhaps those from the Sudan or Ethiopia? Certainly it would not be the British or the Americans.

If you were to ask the Afghani's who is their enemy? What nations troops have invaded their soil?

If you were to ask the Lebonese or Palestinian people, who supports the genocide of their children?

Let me guess... your apathy would declare that it was not in your name, hence not your problem and not your fault.

If every citizen of this great nation of England is willing to turn a blind eye and accept that what is being done by their democratically elected government to other nations children is not done in all our names... they would be able to carry on business as usual and war is the biggest business of all, make no mistake.

For the love of God, one man has stood against this genocidal lunacy and the government that you claim not to be responsible for or under has created a gag order by the name of SOCPA to remove his voice from Parliament Square.

Not in my name... I invite you to get your sleeping bag and trot on down to Parliament Square and educate yourself as to the grave reality our government is placing our nation and our neighbouring nations under.

Not in my name? Give me a break.

Sincerely,

Charity XXX

Charity Sweet
mail e-mail: charitysweet@hotmail.co.uk


Not in my name again.

28.12.2006 13:36

You misunderstand Charity. I object to the government acting without the consent of me and the people and intend to do my utmost to continue exercising my dissent. Voting is merely playing lip service to a sham democracy.

Alf


behind every great man...

29.12.2006 00:17

if i were into prizes for activists and were to nominate anybody for such a thing i think i would nominate brian`s wife, who by staying in their home and continuing to work hard looking after his children for him has enabled his protest to happen.
xxxx

justagrrrl


behind every great man

29.12.2006 00:45

perhaps it is brians wife who should be given a award, for having continued to raise the kids in his absence?

justagrrrl


Behind every divorce...

30.12.2006 22:50

Sorry to tell you this justagirl but Brians wife divorced hom last year. There is a lady named Maria who has remained constant to Brian and given him an incredible amount of help so applause must be given to her.

The Maori.

Maori
mail e-mail: the_maori@peace-not-war.org


behind every woman

31.12.2006 12:14

what about Barbaras children?
and Steves?
where were they on Christmas day, and are they quietly paying the price?
sofaboy

Sofarsogood


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