We have pleasure in attaching the minutes of our December meeting thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. They contain details of the group’s recent activities including a schools talk, carol singing and Write for Rights. Future activities are also listed and if you are thinking of joining us, coming along to one of those would be a good place to start. Seasons greetings to our readers!
Group went carol singing in Salisbury last evening
December 2024
This was the 20th year we have done this and it is a pleasure when people come out to hear the singing. For one family who said it was one of the highpoints of the year, they sang two extra. The carols are actually sung by the Farrant Singers and it is wonderful to have a choir of their standing come and sing in the street for us.
“The Farrant Singers, based in Salisbury, are widely recognised as one of the most articulate and eloquent chamber ensembles in England.” (Review in The Church Times 20 June 2022)
We were delighted with the generosity of many which helps boosts our funds. As ever we finished at a supporter’s house for soup, cheese and mince pies. Our thanks to the Farrants and to all those who took part including the collectors.
The 52nd Vigil was held today in the Market Square in Salisbury and 30 attended. There was a kind of irony around today’s event as we looked out over the Market Square which was festooned with Christmas lights with the market in full swing. The Vigil is about peace in the region where Christianity began. With an estimated 44,000 dead in Gaza the notion of ‘peace and goodwill to all men’ seemed a long way off. Gaza and Palestine generally (however it is delineated) is precisely the area where Christianity was started yet here we are looking at a raging war and hatred seeming to be the defining spirit.
There is a temporary cessation of hostilities in Lebanon but few would confidently this to extend for any length of time.
Today (Sunday 1st December) we were in the Cathedral Cloisters from 10:00 until noon for a Write for Rights event so if you are in the area, please give us a call.
We have made some changes to how we promote the site. We are – in keeping with thousands of others – no longer on X as it is allowing some unpleasant material to remain unmoderated. You will see at the bottom of posts that we are now on Mastodon and Bluesky. Please let us know if there are problems with accessing either of these. We continue to post on Facebook.
The minutes of our November meeting are here thanks to group member Lesley for producing them. The contain information about forthcoming events and brief reports on refugees and the death penalty.
Some members of the Amnesty group met last evening to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its foundation. We are, sad to say, the last surviving group in Wiltshire. As we have noted before, the founders in 1974 may have thought that human rights were now a part of the political agenda and that it might naturally wither on the vine especially when the Human Rights Act became law in the UK. That has not been the case and the need for vigilance is ever present.
The world situation is dire for millions in countries like Burma where the minorities such as the Rohingya are persecuted; China where the Uyghurs and Tibetans suffer monstrous persecution; sub Saharan Africa where wars rage and millions flee or are driven from their homes; Syria – although quiet at present – has been a country where large numbers have been killed or driven from their homes and currently, the Middle East where a fearsome death toll and suggestions of ethnic cleansing are taking place in Gaza.
In the UK, hostility to the HRA is ever present and was a fixture of Conservative party policy for some years. Only yesterday we reported on a Daily Mail article which gave its readers only partial details of a report critical of the HRA produced by a secretive think tank. Several of the tabloids and the right wing press generally have maintained a steady stream of anti human rights stories suggesting the act is a get out of gaol card for criminals, terrorists and assorted ne’er-do-wells.
The They Work for You website reveals that both local MPs – John Glen and Danny Kruger – generally vote against human rights proposals. Kruger has written often on this subject and we have reviewed some of his activities on this site. The last Conservative government passed several pieces of legislation to limit protests and giving more powers to the police to arrest people taking part in protests. Indeed, the issue of arrests of journalists was part of the last Salisbury Democracy Café debate on Saturday 9th.
Both internationally and in the UK, the continuing need for a spotlight on human rights issues is vital and the group hopes to carry on with this work in the years to come. We always welcome new members and the best thing is to follow this site or Facebook (salisburyai) to see what we are doing and come along and make yourself known. Oh, and we had a very enjoyable meal!
We are pleased to attach the minutes of the group’s meeting held on 10 October thanks to group member Lesley for their preparation. They are longer than normal minutes as they double as our newsletter. If you live in the south Wiltshire area you would be welcome to join us and we meet on the second Thursday of each month. A good idea is to make yourself known at an event we’re running. Joining us is free but there is a fee to join Amnesty International.
Don’t forget that we shall be in the Market Square, Salisbury today, Thursday, at 2:30 for a photo to celebrate the 50 years since the formation of the Salisbury Amnesty group. If you are able to spare half an hour or so, that would be wonderful. Whether you are a member, supporter or want to celebrate with us – doesn’t matter.
We are pleased to attach the minutes of our group meeting in September 2024 – thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. The minutes contain a lot of interest including future group actions (see the last page). We are celebrating our formation 50 years ago and we shall be holding a brief photo op in Salisbury market square on 3 October near the Guildhall. All supporters and those with an interest in human rights are welcome to come.
We are 50 this year!
Note that we are no longer on X due to its recent history but we do have a presence on Mastodon with the handle @SalisburyAmnesty
We are pleased to attach the minutes of the group’s meeting on 12 July thanks to group member Lesley for their preparation.
NB: due to several people not being able to come, the Summer social event has been postponed. We will decide on an alternative at our September meeting.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 