Latest News
Reactions to the election results
Friends have given contrasting reactions to last week’s election results. No Quakers, as far as the Friend understands, have been elected to the Scottish parliament or the Welsh or Northern Irish assemblies, although a number of Friends continue to serve as local councillors.
BAE board challenged
What happens when the arms industry comes face to face with its critics? There is one day every year when the representatives of a top arms manufacturer are legally obliged to listen to opponents facing them in the same room: the annual general meeting (AGM) of multinational arms firm BAE...
China Convoy on the move
Plans are under way to launch a website devoted to the relief work done by conscientious objectors on the ‘China Convoy’.
Christian Aid Week supported
Quakers throughout Britain are supporting Christian Aid Week (15-21 May) by raising funds and promoting campaigns on global poverty.
Osama’s death prompts mixed reactions
Faith groups and religious leaders have cautioned against celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden. Some have also been critical of the killing and warned that it is unlikely to make the world safer.
Arresting times
Quakers are among those voicing concern over the widespread arrest of activists in the run-up to last week’s royal wedding. A number of Friends were affected by police action that saw dozens of people taken into custody before and during the event.
Egyptian pacifist jailed
Peace and human rights campaigners have expressed dismay at the news that an Egyptian pacifist has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for ‘insulting the military’. Maikel Nabil Sanad was active in the recent Egyptian revolution and published an article criticising the armed forces’ role in the event (see ‘Conscientious...
Friends lay down peace vigil
A monthly Quaker peace vigil in London’s Trafalgar Square will take place for the last time at noon on Saturday. The vigil has been held in the Square every month since 1 May 2004, when Friends in Forest Hill Meeting were moved to testify against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
United Nations Commission considers criminal justice reform
Friends have addressed the United Nations on issues of criminal justice reform. At the twentieth UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, held in Vienna earlier this month, Quaker representatives spoke to the assembled governments and professionals about the principles that should underlie the treatment of prisoners. Friends...
Poverty Truth Commission
Poverty will be overcome only if people at the ‘sharp end’ are at the centre of policy-making. That’s the view of the Poverty Truth Commission, who insist that ‘charity reports and government strategies’ will not work unless people who experience poverty first hand are at the heart of the...