Latest News
Welcome to Canterbury
More than a thousand Friends streamed into the large blue big top and, as the evening cooled, the earlier sweltering heat could be forgotten. All was busyness and the sound of bustle and chat when, suddenly, the atmosphere changed and the noise disappeared as if by magic. The clerks had...
Proposed ‘green’ refurbishment at Friends House
A green agenda will be at the heart of major changes to the fabric of Friends’ House, the London headquarters of British Quakers. That’s the promise made by the trustees of Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM), the formal organisation of Quakers in England, Scotland and Wales. The trustees will...
Military influence in schools challenged
A US Quaker activist has used a speaking tour of Britain to back a new campaign challenging military influence in British schools. Oskar Castro, who previously worked for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), spoke at events in London, Edinburgh and Coventry to launch the ‘Military Out of Schools’...
Quaker Social Action wins award
A Quaker charity has received an award from a national thinktank for its work tackling poverty. Quaker Social Action (QSA), which works in east London, won the prize for their ‘Made of Money’ scheme, which aims to help people to manage financial problems.
Tony Benn to give Salter Lecture
Veteran left-wing politician Tony Benn has agreed to speak on socialism to British Quakers during Yearly Meeting Gathering (YMG) in Canterbury next month. He will give the Salter Lecture, an annual event of the Quaker Socialist Society (QSS), on 2 August.
Court battles over ‘right to protest’
Quakers are among a group of campaigners facing court this month for their part in a protest at Fortnum & Mason in March. The Friend understands that there are at least two Quakers among the 145 people arrested after a sit-in at the London store. The protestors began to appear...
Back in the trenches?
Last Thursday will go down in the history books as a milestone in the history of conscientious objection. After sixty years, the European Court of Human Rights at last ruled unequivocally that the right of conscientious objection to military service is protected under the European Convention on Human Rights and...
British Quaker arrested by Israeli authorities
An eighty-three-year-old British Quaker has been arrested by Israeli authorities while trying to visit Bethlehem. John Lynes, a Hastings-based Quaker, is one of sixty-nine international visitors who were arrested while attempting to enter the West Bank in response to invitations from local residents. The charges against them remain unclear. John...
Weapons sold to Bahrain
Business secretary Vince Cable is facing legal action over the sale of weapons used against peaceful demonstrators in Bahrain. Armoured vehicles made in the UK were sold to Saudi Arabia and deployed when Saudi forces entered Bahrain to help the country’s regime to suppress dissent.
Methodists warn against ‘Big Society’
Britain’s Methodists have warned that David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ initiative could end up fuelling poverty and division. The coalition’s economic policies came under repeated attack during the annual Methodist Conference, held in Southport last week. ‘Not everyone will be able to join in the Big Society...