35 Facts About Brian Haw

Brian William Haw was a British protester and peace campaigner who lived for almost ten years from 2001 in a peace camp in London's Parliament Square, in a protest against UK and US foreign policy.

Brian Haw was born on 7 January 1949, in Wanstead Hospital, in Woodford Green, Essex a twin and the eldest of six.

Brian Haw grew up in neighbouring Barking and in Whitstable, Kent.

Brian Haw later worked as a railway clerk, and worked in a betting office.

Brian Haw's family were involved in an evangelical Christian church in Whitstable, which Brian Haw joined when he was aged 11.

Brian Haw was apprenticed to a boat-builder from the age of 16 and then entered the Merchant Navy as a deckhand.

Brian Haw travelled widely before spending six months at an evangelical college in Nottingham, after which he preached world peace.

Brian Haw visited Northern Ireland in 1970 during The Troubles, as well as the Killing Fields of Cambodia in 1989.

Brian Haw married his wife Kay in Redbridge in June 1977.

Brian Haw justified his campaign on a need to improve his children's future.

Brian Haw only left his makeshift campsite to attend court hearings, surviving on food brought by supporters.

Brian Haw originally camped on the grass in Parliament Square, but the Greater London Authority took legal action to remove him, so he relocated to the pavement, which was administered by Westminster City Council instead.

The continuous use of a megaphone by Brian Haw led to objections by Members of Parliament who had offices close to Brian Haw's protest camp.

Brian Haw won 298 votes, making a speech against the ongoing presence of UK troops in Iraq at the declaration of the result.

The act states that demonstrations must have authorisation from the police "when the demonstration starts", and Brian Haw asserted that his demonstration had begun before the passage of the act, which was not made retrospective.

Brian Haw was unwilling to comply and the police referred his case to the Crown Prosecution Service; a number of supporters began camping with him in order to deter attempts to evict him.

At a licensing hearing at Westminster City Council on 30 June 2006, Brian Haw was granted limited permission to use a loudspeaker in the space allowed to him.

On 22 January 2007 Brian 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.

The hearing before the Administrative Court was adjourned because Mr Brian Haw had not been served with relevant documents in time to give them proper consideration.

Brian Haw sought a large number of directions from the court on 18 November 2008.

The court was un-persuaded that a full transcript of the hearing was necessary, even though Brian Haw claimed that it would show that the court sidestepped the issue as to the legality of the seizure.

Brian Haw's defence was that Haw had invited her to join him in his demonstration.

Brian Haw gave evidence on her behalf to that effect.

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

In December 2007 press releases stated that Brian Haw had declared himself a candidate in the London Mayoral Elections in May 2008, but eventually he did not stand.

Brian Haw, who was described as a chain smoker, continued to smoke cigarettes until his death.

Brian Haw died in Germany in the early hours of 18 June 2011 of lung cancer.

Brian Haw's rectitude was a mirror that the people in the building opposite couldn't bear.

In 2011 London Assembly Member Jenny Jones called for Westminster Council to erect a blue plaque for Brian Haw immediately, bypassing English Heritage's criteria that the person commemorated should have been dead for two decades or passed the centenary of their birth, whichever is the earlier.

Brian Haw was featured in several documentaries including 2003's "As Long As It Takes".

Brian Haw was briefly portrayed in the 2007 drama The Trial of Tony Blair.

Brian Haw was filmed for many months by independent documentary maker Senara Wilson during the buildup to war in 2003.

The London-based band XX Teens recorded a song "For Brian Haw", which was included on their 2008 album Welcome To Goon Island.

Brian Haw was featured in the short length documentary Maria: 24hr Peace Picket by Iranian film director Parviz Jahed, about fellow peace campaigner Maria Gallastegui.

Zia Trench's debut play, The State We're In, based on Brian Haw's life, was performed for the first time at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe, featuring Michael Byrne in the lead role and directed by Justin Butcher.