Brian William Haw (7 January 1949 – 18 June 2011) was a British protester and peace campaigner who lived for almost ten years from 2001 in a

peace camp Peace camps are a form of physical protest camp that is focused on anti-war and anti-nuclear activity. They are set up outside military military base, bases by members of the peace movement who oppose either the existence of the military bases the ...

in London's

Parliament Square Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the centre with trees to its west, and ...

, in a

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

against UK and US foreign policy. He began the

Parliament Square Peace Campaign The Parliament Square Peace Campaign was a peace camp outside the Palace of Westminster in Parliament Square, London, from 2001 to 2013. Activist Brian Haw launched the campaign at the site on 2 June 2001, initially as an around-the-clock pro ...

before the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, and became a symbol of the

anti-war movement An anti-war movement is a social movement in opposition to one or more nations' decision to start or carry on an armed conflict. The term ''anti-war'' can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during con ...

over the policies of both the United Kingdom and the United States in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and later

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. At the 2007

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

Political Awards he was voted Most Inspiring Political Figure. Haw died of cancer in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, where he had been receiving medical treatment.

Early and personal life

Haw was born on 7 January 1949,John Rees, 'Haw, Brian William (1949–2011)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Jan 201
accessed 13 Feb 2015
/ref> in

Wanstead Hospital Wanstead Hospital was a former National Health Service, NHS hospital situated on Hermon Hill in Snaresbrook, not far from Wanstead in north-east London. History The building was originally constructed to accommodate the Merchant Seamen's Orphan ...

, in

Woodford Green Woodford Green is an area of Woodford, London, Woodford in East London, England, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It adjoins Buckhurst Hill to the north, Woodford Bridge to the east, South Woodford to the south, and Chingford to the we ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

a twin and the eldest of six. He grew up in neighbouring

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking, 1965–1980 ** Municipal Borough of Barking, 1931–1965 ** Barking (UK Parliament constituency) ** Barking (electoral division), Greater ...

and in

Whitstable Whitstable () is a town on the north coast of Kent, England, at the convergence of the The Swale, Swale and the Greater Thames Estuary, north of Canterbury and west of Herne Bay, Kent, Herne Bay. The town, formerly known as Whitstable-on-Se ...

, Kent. His father, Robert William Haw (1925–1964), served as a sniper in the

Reconnaissance Corps The Reconnaissance Corps, or simply Recce Corps, was a service branch of the British Army, formed during the World War II, Second World War, whose units provided reconnaissance for infantry Division (military), divisions. It was formed from infan ...

in the Second World War, and had been one of the first British soldiers to enter the

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp Bergen-Belsen (), or Belsen, was a Nazi concentration camp in what is today Lower Saxony in Northern Germany, northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen, Lower Saxony, Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp, ...

. He later worked as a railway clerk, and also worked in a betting office. He took his own life when Haw was 13. Haw's mother was Iris Marie Haw (née Hall). Haw's family were involved in an

evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

church in Whitstable, which Haw joined when he was aged 11. Haw was apprenticed to a boat-builder from the age of 16 and then entered the Merchant Navy as a deckhand.Anna Pukas, "I'm staying I won't let Blair bully me'", ''The Express'', 11 May 2006. He travelled widely before spending six months at an evangelical college in Nottingham, after which he preached

world peace World peace is the concept of an ideal state of peace within and among all people and nations on Earth. Different cultures, religions, philosophies, and organizations have varying concepts on how such a state would come about. Various relig ...

. Haw visited

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

in 1970 during

The Troubles The Troubles () were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed t ...

, as well as the

Killing Fields The Killing Fields (, ) are sites in Cambodia where collectively more than 1.3 million people were killed and buried by the Communist Party of Kampuchea during Khmer Rouge rule from 1975 to 1979, immediately after the end of the Cambodian Ci ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

in 1989. After returning to London, he worked as a removals man and as a carpenter, and later with youth in

Redditch Redditch is a town and non-metropolitan district with borough status in Worcestershire, England. It is located south of Birmingham, east of Bromsgrove, north-west of Alcester and north-east of Worcester. In 2021, the town had a population of ...

, Worcestershire. He married his wife Kay in Redbridge in June 1977. They lived in

with their seven children until he left them in 2001 to begin his Parliament Square protest. The couple divorced in 2003.

Parliament Square protests

On 2 June 2001, he began camping in

in central London in a one-man

political protest Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of status or resources. The branch of social science that studies poli ...

against war and foreign policy (initially, the Economic sanctions against Iraq). By his own account, he was first inspired to take up his vigil after seeing the images and information produced by the

Mariam Appeal The Mariam Appeal ("the Appeal") was a political campaign in the United Kingdom (UK) established in 1998 which ceased operation in 2003. The objects of the Appeal as stated in its constitution were "to provide medicines, medical equipment and medi ...

, an anti-sanctions campaign. Haw justified his campaign on a need to improve his children's future. He only left his makeshift campsite to attend court hearings, surviving on food brought by supporters. Support for Haw's protest came from former Labour cabinet minister

Tony Benn Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and political activist who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabine ...

and activist/comedian

Mark Thomas Mark Clifford Thomas (born 11 April 1963) is an English comedian, best known for the political stunts that he performs on his show, ''The Mark Thomas Comedy Product'' on Channel 4. Thomas first became known as a guest comic on the BBC Radio 1 ...

. Among the artwork displayed was a

Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive ep ...

stencil of two soldiers painting over a peace sign and Leon Kuhn's anti-war political caricature ''3 Guilty Men'', which, together with Kuhn's ''The Proud Parents'',

Mark Wallinger Mark Wallinger (born 25 May 1959) is an English artist. Having previously been nominated for the Turner Prize in 1995, he won in 2007 for his installation '' State Britain''. His work ''Ecce Homo'' (1999–2000) was the first piece to occupy th ...

later displayed in his recreation at the Tate in 2007. He originally camped on the grass in Parliament Square, but the

Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the Metonymy, metonym City Hall, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved Regions of England, regional governance body of Greater London, England. It consists of two political ...

took legal action to remove him, so he relocated to the pavement, which was administered by Westminster City Council instead. In October 2002

Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2022. Full council meetings ...

attempted to prosecute Haw for causing an

obstruction Obstruction may refer to: Places * Obstruction Island, in Washington state * Obstruction Islands, east of New Guinea Medicine * Obstructive jaundice * Obstructive sleep apnea * Airway obstruction, a respiratory problem ** Recurrent airway obst ...

to the pavement, but the case failed as Haw's banners did not impede movement. The continuous use of a

megaphone A megaphone, speaking trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer is usually a portable or hand-held, cone-shaped horn (acoustic), acoustic horn used to amplifier, amplify a person's voice or other sounds and direct it in a given direction. ...

by Haw led to objections by Members of Parliament who had offices close to Haw's protest camp. The House of Commons Procedure Committee held a brief inquiry in summer 2003 which heard evidence that permanent protests in Parliament Square could provide an opportunity for terrorists to disguise explosive devices, and resulted in a recommendation that the law be changed to prohibit them. The Government passed a provision banning all unlicensed protests, permanent or otherwise, in the

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (c. 15) (often abbreviated to SOCPA or SOCAP) is an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom aimed primarily at creating the Serious Organised Crime Agency. It also significan ...

(sections 132 to 138); however, because Haw's protest was on-going and residing on Parliament Square prior to the enactment of the Act, it was unclear whether the Act applied to him. Brian Haw 3 January 2009

In the 2005 general election Haw stood as a candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster in order to further his campaign and oppose the Act which was yet to come into force. He won 298 votes (0.8 per cent), making a speech against the ongoing presence of UK troops in Iraq at the declaration of the result.

Legal action

As preparation for implementing the new

began, Haw won an application for

judicial review Judicial review is a process under which a government's executive, legislative, or administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. In a judicial review, a court may invalidate laws, acts, or governmental actions that are in ...

on 28 July 2005, successfully arguing that a technical defect in the act meant it did not apply in his case. The act states that demonstrations must have authorisation from the police "when the demonstration starts", and Haw asserted that his demonstration had begun before the passage of the act, which was not made retrospective. Although the commencement order made to bring the act into force had made reference to demonstrations begun before the act came into force, there was no power for the commencement order to extend the scope of the act. The government appealed against the judgement, and on 8 May 2006 the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

allowed the appeal and therefore declared that the act did apply to him. The court found that the intent of parliament was clearly to apply to all demonstrations in Parliament Square regardless of when they had begun, saying "The only sensible conclusion to reach in these circumstances is that Parliament intended that those sections of the Act should apply to a demonstration in the designated area, whether it started before or after they came into force. Any other conclusion would be wholly irrational and could fairly be described as manifestly absurd." In the meantime Haw had applied for permission to continue his demonstration, and received it on condition that his display of placards was no more than wide (among other things). Haw was unwilling to comply and the police referred his case to the

Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...

; a number of supporters began camping with him in order to deter attempts to evict him. Abby Jackson

In the early hours of 23 May 2006, 78 police arrived and removed all but one of Haw's placards citing continual breached conditions of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 as their reason for doing so.

Ian Blair Ian Warwick Blair, Baron Blair of Boughton, (born 19 March 1953) is a British retired police officer who held the position of Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 2005 to 2008. He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1974 under a gra ...

(head of the Metropolitan Police at the time) later said that the operation to remove Haw's placards had cost £27,000. The actions of the police were criticised by members of the

Metropolitan Police Authority The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) (2000–2012) was the local police authority responsible for scrutinising and supporting the work of the Metropolitan Police Service, the police force for Greater London (excluding the City of London Police ...

at its monthly meeting on 25 May 2006. Haw appeared at

Bow Street Magistrates' Court Bow Street Magistrates' Court (formerly Bow Street Magistrates' court (England and Wales), Police Court) and Police Station each became one of the most famous magistrates' court (England and Wales), magistrates' courts and police stations in Eng ...

on 30 May, when he refused to enter a plea. The court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, and he was bailed to return to court on 11 July 2006. At a licensing hearing at

on 30 June 2006, Haw was granted limited permission to use a loudspeaker in the space allowed to him. On 22 January 2007 Haw was acquitted on the grounds that the conditions he was accused of breaching were not sufficiently clear, and that they should have been imposed by a police officer of higher rank. District Judge Purdy ruled: "I find the conditions, drafted as they are, lack clarity and are not workable in their current form." At the 2007

Political Awards Haw was voted Most Inspiring Political Figure.

''Director of Public Prosecutions v Haw''

In the case of ''Director of Public Prosecutions v Haw'', the judgement of the court, delivered by Lord Phillips CJ, included the following: This was an adjourned hearing of an appeal by way of case stated by the Director of Public Prosecutions against a decision of District Judge Purdy in the City of Westminster Magistrates Court on 22 January 2007. The judge ruled that there was no case for the Respondent, Brian Haw, to answer on a charge of knowingly failing to comply with a condition imposed under Section 134 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 ('SOCA') in respect of a demonstration in Parliament Square. The hearing before the

Administrative Court An administrative court is a type of specialized court on administrative law, particularly disputes concerning the exercise of public power. Their role is to ascertain that official acts are consistent with the law. Such courts are usually co ...

was adjourned because Mr Haw had not been served with relevant documents in time to give them proper consideration. Haw sought a large number of directions from the court on 18 November 2008. After some delay the directions of the court were eventually published in March 2009: * ''Haw, R (on the application of) v Southwark Crown Court & Ors''

009 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight ...

EWHC 379 (Admin) (3 March 2009) The court was un-persuaded that a full transcript of the hearing was necessary, even though Haw claimed that it would show that the court sidestepped the issue as to the legality of the seizure.

''Tucker v Director of Public Prosecutions''

The case of ''Tucker v Director of Public Prosecutions'', 2007 was an appeal by way of case stated. The appellant, Barbara Tucker, was convicted unde
Section 132 (1)(c)
of the

(SOCPA), of being within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, and carrying on unauthorised demonstration by herself in a public place in a designated area, namely Parliament Square. Her defence was that Haw had invited her to join him in his demonstration. He gave evidence on her behalf to that effect. The magistrate said: "Had I accepted this evidence (which I did not) it would have been argued that the allegation that she had 'carried on an unauthorised demonstration by herself ...' could not have been made out, and furthermore (in my view incorrectly) that it would provide a defence by saying that as Mr Haw is safe from prosecution anyone who joins him is also safe." The question posed by the magistrate was: "Was it lawful under section 6 (1) HRA to convict the appellant?" The Administrative Court held that SOCPA was not incompatible with the

European Convention on Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is a Supranational law, supranational convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Draf ...

(specifically, Articles 10 (freedom of expression) and 11 (freedom of assembly)), and that Tucker's conviction was therefore lawful.

January 2008 injury and arrest

On 12 January 2008, Haw was observing a protest against the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act outside

Downing Street Downing Street is a gated street in City of Westminster, Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In a cul-de-sac situated off Whiteh ...

. Seven people were arrested including Haw, who said "I was filming the students lying down in the road when one officer stepped forward, as I was walking back, and pushed the camera with his hand. It struck my face." He used "violent and humiliating force".

2008 London mayoral elections

In December 2007 press releases stated that Haw had declared himself a candidate in the London Mayoral Elections in May 2008, but eventually he did not stand. On 17 April 2008 he gave his support to the Christian Choice candidate

Alan Craig Alexander Alan Craig is a British politician and community worker who previously served as leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance (CPA) from 2004 to 2012. He stood as a candidate for Mayor of London in 2008 and was a councillor in London Boro ...

25 May 2010 arrest

On 25 May 2010 the day of the

State Opening of Parliament The State Opening of Parliament is a ceremonial event which formally marks the beginning of each Legislative session, session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At its core is His or Her Majesty's "Speech from the throne, gracious speech ...

for the new

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Liberal Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties have usually followed liberalism as ideology, although they can vary widely from very progr ...

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

, Haw was arrested at 8:30 am.

Illness and death

In September 2010 Haw was diagnosed with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

. On 1 January 2011 he left England to receive treatment in Berlin. Haw, who was described as a

chain smoker Chain smoking is the practice of smoking several cigarettes in succession, sometimes using the ember of a finishing cigarette to light the next. The term chain smoker often also refers to a person who smokes relatively constantly, though not nec ...

, continued to smoke cigarettes until his death. He died in Germany in the early hours of 18 June 2011 of lung cancer. He is survived by seven children. Reacting to news of Haw's death,

said "Brian Haw was a man of principle ... his death marks the end of a historic enterprise by a man who gave everything to support his beliefs". At his death

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

described him as an "unsung hero".

said "I admired aw'ssingle-minded tenacity. His rectitude was a mirror that the people in the building opposite couldn't bear. ... Now that he's gone, who else have we got?". British artist

honoured Haw with a tribute on his website. Banksy had previously described Haw as 'the best inspiration in London' in a hand written dedication to him in a copy of the book ''Wall and Piece''.

Memorials

In 2011 London Assembly Member Jenny Jones called for Westminster Council to erect a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...

for Brian Haw immediately, bypassing

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

's criteria that the person commemorated should have been dead for two decades or passed the centenary of their birth, whichever is the earlier. In 2018, artist Guy Atkins sited an audio monument to Brian Haw in

. Conceived within the tradition of countermonuments, the audio work
'And There Was Brian'
- can only be heard in the Square through the monument's GPS-restricted website
andtherewasbrian.uk
The monument gives an account of Brian Haw's protest through the experiences of his longest-serving supporter, actor Michael Culver. Following Haw's death, the British MP

John McDonnell John Martin McDonnell (born 8 September 1951) is a British politician who served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2015 to 2020. He has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Hayes and Harlington ...

called for a statue of Haw to be erected to celebrate peace. In 2023 Actor Sir

Mark Rylance Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (; born 18 January 1960) is an English actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his roles on stage and screen, having received numerous awards including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Oliv ...

headed a

crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and Alternative Finance, alternative finance, to fund projects "withou ...

campaign to erect a small bronze

maquette A ''maquette'' is a scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture or work of architecture. The term is a loanword from French. An equivalent term is ''bozzetto'', a diminutive of the Italian word for a sketch. Sculpture A maquette ...

on a plinth opposite the big guns of the

Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civ ...

in Lambeth. Paid for by over £25,000 in contributions from more than one thousand people, a bronze statue by Amanda Ward was installed at the School of Historical Dress, facing the Imperial War Museum and just outside the 1-mile exclusion zone around the Houses of Parliament. It was unveiled on 16 March 2025.

Documentaries

Haw was featured in several documentaries including 2003's "As Long As It Takes" (Raj Yagnik). Haw was briefly portrayed in the 2007 drama ''

The Trial of Tony Blair ''The Trial of Tony Blair'' is a satirical drama depicting war crimes proceedings brought against former British prime minister Tony Blair by an international tribunal, following his departure from 10 Downing Street. Directed by Simon Cellan J ...

''. Haw was filmed for many months by independent documentary maker Senara Wilson during the buildup to war in 2003. Her film ''Life of Brian'' (produced and edited by Matthew Platts-Mills) was selected for the

Commonwealth Film Festival A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

. ''A Man Called Brian'', a 2005 documentary film by

Mahmoud Shoolizadeh Mahmud is a Romanization of Arabic, transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad (name), Muhammad''. ...

, is about Haw and his protest in Parliament Square. Haw was featured with activist Mick Meaney in a documentary by British independent news agency RINF, in which for the first time in the media he stated that he believed "9/11 was an inside job".

In culture

In January 2007, former

Turner Prize The Turner Prize, named after the English painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. Between 1991 and 2016, only artists under the age of 50 were eligible (this restriction was removed for the 2017 award). ...

nominee

recreated Brian Haw's Parliament Square protest in its entirety as an exhibition at

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in En ...

, titled State Britain. Running the length of the Duveen Gallery, ''State Britain'' was a painstaking reconstruction of the display confiscated by the Metropolitan Police in 2006. It included 500 weather-worn banners, photos, peace flags, and messages from well-wishers collected by Haw over the duration of the Peace Protest, as well as his self-constructed shelter. In December 2007 Wallinger's work won the

. The London-based band XX Teens recorded a song "For Brian Haw", which was included on their 2008 album '' Welcome To Goon Island''. The track incorporated a statement by Haw himself about his motivations for the protest. Haw was featured in the short length documentary ''Maria: 24hr Peace Picket'' by Iranian film director Parviz Jahed, about fellow peace campaigner Maria Gallastegui. In 2009,

Youth Music Theatre UK British Youth Music Theatre (BYMT), formerly Youth Music Theatre UK, is a UK-based national performing arts organisation founded in December 2003. BYMT provides music theatre training to young people aged 11–21 and a stepping stone to drama sc ...

developed the music theatre production ''According to Brian Haw...'' based on reactions by young people to Haw's life, 9/11 and the Iraq war. This was performed at the Barbican Theatre,

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. This production was again performed in 2012 at Square Chapel Centre for the Arts in Halifax with a new cast of young people. It was developed from a concept by Eddie Latter, music by James Atherton, book and lyrics by Sarah Nelson, directed by Ellie Jones, movement by Eddie Latter, designed by Hannah Boothman. Zia Trench's debut play, ''The State We're In'', based on Haw's life, was performed for the first time at the 2009

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

, featuring Michael Byrne in the lead role and directed by Justin Butcher.

References

External links

Parliament Square Peace Campaign website

Background information on the Parliament Square Peace Campaign
* Brian Haw No Longer Allowed to do Peaceful Protest at Parliament Squar

* * Brian Haw: Veteran peace campaigner who occupied Parliament Square for a decade in protest at war (''The Independent'' 20 June 2011

* Rebel with a Cause (''The Independent'' 20 June 2011

* Death of Brian Haw prompts rallying to the peace cause (''The Independent'' 20 June 2011

* Mark Wallinger: Brian Haw was the conscience of a nation grown quiescent (''The Independent'' 20 June 2011)

Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, sections 132 et seq

List of votes relating to Protesting in Parliament Square
from

Public Whip The Public Whip is a parliamentary informatics project that analyses and publishes the voting history of MPs in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was developed by Francis Irving and Julian Todd following the 18 March 2003 Parliamentary ...

Brian Haw speaking about his 2000 days of protest (45mins approx)
from Dissident Vox

Metropolitan Police map of the exclusion zone
* https://www.theguardian.com/antiwar/story/0,,2004876,00.html
Video showing his January 2008 arrest
* FredsVagt Christiansborg, the parallel demonstration in Copenhagen, Denmark
Video interview – Brian Haw in his own words

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haw, Brian 1949 births 2011 deaths English anti–Iraq War activists English anti-war activists British Merchant Navy personnel Deaths from lung cancer in Germany English evangelicals People from Barking, London People from Whitstable Protests in the United Kingdom English Christian pacifists