Saturday 16 January 2010

Petition delivered to 10 Downing Street....by Chris Parsons

My visit to Downing Street to deliver the Stop War Petition.

On Monday 21st December 2009 I travelled to London from Chesterfield to be part of a delegation that was presenting a petition to The British Government to withdraw our forces from the terrible war in Afghanistan. I was representing Stop the War/Military Families against War. We had a family member, who was serving in our armed forces, injured last Summer. I was very honoured to be representing Chesterfield Stop War on this important occasion. As our small delegation approached Downing Street on a cold Pre-Christmas London evening snow began to fall and my thoughts turned to my late parents, both supporters of the peace movements, and also of the soldiers who had laid down this lives in this futile and pointless confict. The doors of Downing Street opened and we delivered our 20,000 strong petition.
Amongst our party was a frail 65 year old grandmother who had recently lost a grandson in Afghanistan. She had travelled from Dundee. She was taking the night train back to Scotland at midnight. The word 'Hero' is very loosely used nowadays, but to me this Grandmother from Scotland was a true 'Heroine'.The whole day for me was a humbling and emotional experience.
As I sank a pint of my favourite 'Fullers London Pride' in a nearby pub with fellow Stop War Supporters in the early evening, before catching the train back to Chesterfield I resolved to continue and strengthen my support for Chesterfield Stop War. As I write these few lines on Saturday 16th January I have heard the news that two more of our serving forces have been killed. I said to my partner a few hours earlier " This week make's a change, none of our forces have died" How wrong I was !
Yours in hope of a peaceful 2010
Chris Parsons .

The video of The press conference held that day can be seen on the MFAW website (link in info bar )

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