London's greatest peace protestor has finally got a permanent memorial in Lambeth.
In 2001, Brian Haw pitched his tent in Parliament Square in protest at the Government's intervention in Afghanistan. He finally left 10 years later, suffering from ill health, and died shortly afterwards. Now, his remarkable, decade-long peace protest has received the memorial it so patently deserves... though not where you'd necessarily expect.
Law fought the Haw and the Haw won
Haw was an inspirational figure. His friend, the actor Mark Rylance — who Londonist interviewed in 2023 — eloquently described Haw's persistence in a recent interview with the BBC:
I'm able to think and feel things about that issue, and go on marches, and stand up and give speeches or do things like this, but not 24 hours a day, not every day of the year — it would drive me mad I'm afraid, I just couldn't do it. And yet he was able to do it and retain his sanity and kindness.
Yet to the authorities, Haw was a nuisance. His protest camp grew to fill the entire eastern side of Parliament Square, and was deemed unsightly and disruptive. Such was his profile that the law was changed in an effort to dislodge him. From 2005, it became illegal to protest within a square mile of Parliament without permission. It didn't work. Haw's protest predated the law, and so he was immune.
A permanent memorial
Haw's tenacity, endurance and determination can surely be saluted by everyone, even those who did not agree with his methods. This is a man who spent 10 years of his life — the last 10 years of his life — camping out for a cause he believed in deeply. The exertion must have contributed to his ill health and early death, aged 62.
A group of friends and supporters have long campaigned for a permanent memorial to Haw. Now they have one. On Sunday 16 March 2025, a small memorial to the man was unveiled at the School of Historical Dress, 52 Lambeth Road, directly opposite the Imperial War Museum. Those present included Mark Rylance, Brian Eno, John McDonnell MP, Stop the War Coalition's Chris Nineham, as well as three of Brian's seven children. A statement from the family put Brian's contribution into perspective:
Dad had a voice (made louder with the help of a megaphone of course). He chose to use this to become the voice of those who could not be heard. The many innocents being killed, day in, day out. To some, he was a nuisance. To many, he was their voice and conscience. But most importantly to us, he was our dad. Our strong courageous father... Dad saw three Prime Ministers come and go. His beautiful bronze statue will remain to see many more.
The bronze likeness of the protestor on crutches, and legend "Stop Killing the Kids" was created by artist Amanda Ward. Originally, the campaigners had hoped to see the memorial placed in Parliament Square, but permission could not be granted. The eventual placement opposite the Imperial War Museum, and beside a park devoted to peace, is an apt alternative. It also falls just outside the protest exclusion zone, brought in to stymie Haw. Seek him out next time you're passing.
