A public appeal has started for a statue to be erected for a peace protester who sat outside the House of Commons for ten years campaigning against various causes including the Iraq War and US foreign policy.
Brian Haw began a peace protest at Parliament Square in Westminster in June 2001 and remained there for nearly ten years, until his death in 2011.
He maintained a noisy presence at Westminster, camped on the grass directly outside the Houses of Parliament.
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Initially inspired by the war in Iraq and UK and US foreign policy, his Parliament Square Peace Campaign became an unavoidable accompaniment for MPs as they made their way to and from their place of work.
Fellow campaigner Michael Culver said he was Brian’s ‘part-time helper’ until his death.
He said he found Brian when he went to protest about the war in Iraq and its effect on children.
“In 2000 I went to Parliament Square driven by disgust at the photographs Caroline Lucas had brought back from Iraq, pictures of horrendously deformed infants which it was claimed were caused by the use of depleted uranium.
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“That’s where I found Brian who seemed to be in a similar state of incredulous horror.
“He was a man of true conscience who had a simple plea, “Stop Killing Kids”. I stayed with Brian as his part-time helper until his death.
“He was a committed Christian, I am an agnostic, but we both went there to protest against war and genocide,” Michael added.
From the beginning, his protest was fed, literally, by the generosity of supporters who brought him sustenance and expanded the peace camp across Parliament Square grass.
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Brian faced many attempts at removal, including legal action brought in by Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London. Brian Haw continued his campaign until early 2011 when he was forced to travel to Berlin for cancer treatment. He died of lung cancer aged 62.
In memory of a man committed to peace ‘in all weathers’, the public campaign for him to get a statue has been relaunched after attempts following his death were unsuccessful.
It will be placed at the School of Historical Dress in Lambeth, just outside the exclusion zone created in 2005 in an attempt by authorities to move him away from the seat of government.
The campaign ‘A Pound for Peace’ is being led by actor and friend Mark Rylance, who is known for his roles in films such as The BFG, Don’t Look Up, Ready Player One and Bridge of Spies alongside Tom Hanks.
Mark Rylance said, “Brian Haw was a committed voice at Westminster for ten years, a longer stint than most Prime Ministers manage, so the permanence of a statue in his honour is entirely fitting.
“Brian’s protests were joined by the likes of the Stop the War coalition, whose 2003 march through London against the Iraq war brought two million people to the city’s streets.
“If just a fraction of the people who took part in that march can spare a pound, we will be able to continue the protest and ensure that the figure of Brian Haw returns to London once again. We want this to be an expression of the widespread wishes for peace from the people on our islands. Please join us now. One pound is all we ask.”
Rylance, along with fellow campaigner Michael Culver and many other supporters, is inviting members of the public to contribute £1 in order to raise the £50,000 required for the creation and installation of the statue.
If the public fundraising campaign is successful, the statue of Brian Haw, a 72 cm tall maquette sculpted by artist Amanda Ward, will stand directly opposite the Imperial War Museum (IWM London), as a permanent symbol of peace.
Sculptor Amanda Ward said she visited Brian ‘as often as she could.’
“Brian Haw stood outside the House of Commons in all weathers.
“The bronze maquette I’ve made, showing Brian supported by crutches, was based on his appearance the year before he died.
“I visited Brian as often as I could and watched the wearing down of the man by authorities, police, pollution and the weather. I feel sure that Brian would think that the maquette and its placement would be a fitting memorial to him.”
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