Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire
Promoting human rights from Salisbury UK
May 2025
We were in Salisbury market square on Saturday 3rd, with our market stall. Thanks to group members Tony, Fiona, Rose, Eddie, Andrew, Val, Lesley and Peter for turning out to help. New photo added (5.v)
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April 2025
This is a list of forthcoming events the Salisbury group will be engaged in over the coming months. Each of them would be a good opportunity to approach us if you were thinking of joining. To join us is free but to become a member of Amnesty International UK there is a membership fee. The group, as well as campaigning for prisoners of conscience, is increasingly concerned with the erosion of rights in the UK. Britain has a proud history of protest and such activity has led to a number of reforms: a look at this list will give you a taste of the numbers that have taken place over the centuries. The essential truth is that those who have power do not like relinquishing it. Recent governments have introduced legislation making it harder to protest and have given the Police even more powers to arrest or interrupt demonstrations. It is more than ever important to be part of organisations like ours to stand firm against governments and their paymasters who want to clamp down on opposition.
Several of our local MPs are reported in They Work for You website as ‘generally voting against’ human rights matters. Danny Kruger, the MP for the newly created East Wiltshire constituency (which starts about a mile north of Salisbury), would like to see the Human Right Act abolished. Protecting our rights is therefore truly important as we cannot rely on our elected representatives to do it for us.
Events
Later in the year we will be holding:
Other events which are not yet settled are:
*If by chance you are a teacher reading this at a school in South Wiltshire and would like to discuss a visit as part of your school’s citizenship programme, please get in touch.
March 2025
UPDATE, 12 March: For those who would like to revisit the talk, the Cathedral has produced a recording, available until 17th March. 19 March: now removed.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was interviewed in Salisbury Cathedral by the Rt Revd Bishop of Sherborne, Karen Gorham, about her experiences of being imprisoned in Iran and life after her release. Unfortunately, the sound system was such that many could not hear large chunks of what was said, some claiming only being able to hear a quarter of the discussion.
The local group was pleased that the Bishop, Nazanin and her husband all mentioned the role played by Amnesty and the introducer mentioned the local group in particular.
The event was a sell-out with nearly 1,000 people in attendance. It took place on International Women’s Day.
Nazanin made the point that there was a difference between being political prisoner and a hostage.
Being a hostage brought with it a different set of rules since what the legal case was did not matter. She also said you only appreciate freedom when you don’t have it for a long time. After release she found ‘adjustment quite difficult’. For a long time she said ‘my body was free but my mind was in prison’. Even meals were difficult because she found the rush of having to eat in prison was difficult to shake off.
She discussed the Boris Johnson affair. Johnson blurted out that Nazanin was in Iran to ‘train journalists’ which was untrue: she was there on holiday. This was used by the Iranian authorities against her. It took a long time for Johnson to meet her and he failed explicitly to apologise for his error despite the effect it had on her confinement. Both have been extremely critical of the British government during her ordeal.
Richard, her husband spoke about the ‘of the kindness of strangers’ . He also spoke of the role of Amnesty and of the symbolic nature of the Amnesty logo of a candle in a coil of barbed wire.
We apologise for the partial nature of this post for reasons outside our control. Image, Amnesty International.
March 2025
Last year (2024) marked the fifty years since the group was founded and here we are, still going strong if sadly the only group left in Wiltshire. We had the opportunity for a tree to be planted in honour of this anniversary and today (4 March) some of the local group assembled for a photograph in Victoria Park. We were delighted to welcome two surviving members who formed the group half a century ago.
The need to keep human rights issues on the agenda is needed now more than ever. It was perhaps the belief all those years ago that the need for a human rights group would slowly melt away in the wake of the post war ideal of the new world order following WWII. This has not been the case. Rights are being slowly chipped away at home as governments have not liked protest groups drawing attention to their climate and environment failings and continued arming of Israel for example. The previous government introduced several pieces of legislation reducing rights, increasing police powers and limiting access to justice. The new government shows little inclination to repeal them. Some MPs – including both our local ones – generally vote against human rights matters according to the They Work for You website.
Overseas – well, where to start. China continues to persecute the Uyghurs and western firms continue to buy cotton produced by effectively slave labour. War and destruction continues in Sudan and other parts of sub Sahara Africa. The situation in Burma continues with the military attacking people and villages of minority groups. We continue to sell them jet fuel to enable them to carry on. The terrible death toll continues in Gaza.
So the need to keep the spotlight on human rights is needed today as it was 50 years ago. Power, in whatever form, does not like giving it up and will go to great lengths to keep it for themselves and their supporters.
If you would like to join us you would be welcome. See a list of current and future events where you can come and make yourself known. We welcome people who want to pursue a particular human rights theme – more rights for women for example.
Photo: Salisbury Amnesty
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March 2025
Past event
It was the tree ceremony on Tuesday, at Victoria Park. Photos and a post later.
February 2025
The 61st vigil took place in Salisbury on Saturday 1st February and around 25 attended. With ceasefire still holding and hostages being released, it was hoped that the previous week’s was going to be the last at least for a while. But as we said in a previous post, the seemingly unqualified support for Israel coming from the US, the possible appointment of Mike Huckabee as ambassador and Israel’s decision to cancel the arrangements with Unwra are all bad omens for the future. Unwra are the largest agency by far operating in Gaza and no other agency has the scope or facilities to step into their shoes. There has been a mass return to the north following the ceasefire with thousands returning to rubble where once their homes were. The latest death toll in the territory stands at 46,707 with around 18,000 children having been killed. These figures are underestimates.
We are grateful to Peter Gloyns for the pictures.
January 2025
Minutes of the group’s meeting this month are attached thanks to group member Lesley for preparing them. There are brief reports on the death penalty (full report in another post on this site) and refugees (ditto). Some our future activities are listed. If you are thinking of joining us the best way is to come along to one of our events and make yourself known. We are at the Saturday Vigils for example in the Market Square at 5pm. You would be very welcome.
Happy New Year to our readers and followers.
December 2024
As if we need another report into the dreadful destruction that is Gaza. Médicins sans Frontières is an organisation that provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Their teams comprise tens of thousands of health professionals, logistic and administrative staff, most of whom are hired locally. Their actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality. [Update: 23 December]. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights has also published a report stating their belief that Israel is engaged in genocide in Gaza].
They have published a detailed report into the humanitarian disaster that is Gaza. As with previous reports by HRW, Amnesty and the UN, it consists of many pages of details concerning the destruction taking place there. The evidence is overwhelming. Whatever Israel suffered in the appalling attack on October 7th 2023, the wholesale demolition of huge chunks of the territory go beyond a reasonable response to the attack. As far as we are aware, there has been no Israeli government response to the report.
Part of their report says that MSF has witnessed 14 months of repeated attacks on civilians, the dismantling of essential civilian infrastructure including healthcare facilities, and a systematic denial of humanitarian assistance, seemingly underpinning Israel’s campaign to unravel the very fabric of society in Gaza. Over the first 12 months of hostilities, MSF staff themselves have endured 41 attacks and violent incidents, including airstrikes, shelling and violent incursions in health facilities, direct fire on its shelters and convoys and arbitrary detention by Israeli forces.
Eight MSF colleagues and many of their family members have been killed, many more have been injured. Medical personnel and patients alike have been forced to urgently evacuate health facilities on 17 separate occasions, often literally running for their lives. MSF has only been able to restart activities in three facilities.
Throughout the offensive, Israeli forces have blocked essential items such as food, water and medical supplies from entering the Strip. They have either denied, delayed or instrumentalised humanitarian assistance, allowing insignificant quantities of aid into Gaza with a complete disregard for the actual needs and the level of suffering of the population. Gaza’s last remaining oncological hospital had to shut down as it ran out of fuel on 1 November 2023. MSF teams had to carry out surgery without sufficient anaesthesia. The consequences of these impediments are made even more harmful due to the uniqueness of a war being waged on a besieged area from which nobody can escape.
The report calls for an end of unconditional support by Western nations, for border crossings to be opened and aid supplies to resume and for Unwra to be allowed to operate. It also calls for an end to arms supplies.
Vigil
We reported yesterday on the 55th Vigil held in Salisbury. As we said, it was well attended with over 40 people there. There is a moving video of the event with a reference to the MSF report. With thanks to Peter Gloyns for permission to post the video and for producing it in quick time.
Pic: Peter Gloyns
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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.
Don’t forget we are now on Mastodon and Bluesky.
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It is doubtful that anyone thought a year ago that we would still be turning up every Saturday for a Vigil. Today marks 53 weeks since the first was started and yet here we are. Despite the storm and some rain, 25 or so turned out this evening for the 53rd time. We were pleased that two passers-by spent time with us as well.
The violence shows no sign of ending. If you read the three reports featured in our recent posts – from the UN Rapporteur, Amnesty and Dr Mordechai – you will understand that it will not end. There seems to be copious evidence that Israel wants to clear the strip of Palestinians or as they term it ‘mow the lawn’. The attitude of Israelis themselves is a key factor as Dr Mordechai discusses. Similarly some Israeli leaders have made some atrocious comments.
They are secure in their support from the West and most particularly, the US. The UK is also a keen supporter and many Labour party politicians are members of Friends of Israel.
We are pleased to attach a video of the event produced in quick time by Peter Gloyns. The video contains an image showing the scale of the destruction which on its own belies the contention of targeted action by the IDF. We attach another such image (Al Jazeera).
We shall be there again next Saturday 16th starting at 5pm for half an hour. We may see you there.
Remember: what you are reading in the papers and watching on the news is only a fraction of the horror being perpetrated.
Post updated 8 December.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 