Members from groups in the South West gathered in Exeter last Saturday for an interesting day on human rights issues. All credit to the Exeter group who have organised this for several years now enabling us to meet other groups in the region. We held our usual photo opportunity in front of the fine Exeter Cathedral (almost as fine as Salisbury’s!), and this picture was to highlight the problems of being a woman in Afghanistan.
We are pleased to attach our minutes (and almost a newsletter) from the March meeting of the group thanks to group member Lesley for compiling them. They contain details of future events (towards the end) as well as items on the death penalty, refugees and other items of interest. The meeting took place on 12 March.
Salisbury group assembles to mark planting of its tree
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.
Although our minutes contain a list, it is still useful to highlight them in a specific post. Any of these are a useful opportunity to make yourself known if you would like to join us. Most join because they care about human rights both around the world and here in Britain. Indeed, we have become more concerned about our rights here with a number of pieces of legislation passed to inhibit protests and demonstrations. There seems to be no hurry by the Labour Government to repeal this legislation.
Forthcoming group events
Vigils continue every Saturday at 5pm in the Market Square by the Library. We had hoped to stop these in view of the ceasefire and exchange of prisoners and hostages, but the future looks uncertain.
Tree. We have a tree! To commemorate our 50 years since formation, there is a tree in Victoria Park and we are planning a group photo. We hope the last two surviving founder members will be able to attend and it will take place on 4th March at 11:00 am. We’d like as many supporters to be there as possible. The Salisbury group is the last remaining Amnesty group in Wiltshire.
A conversation with Nazanin Zaghari at the Cathedral on 8th March. The group took place in a number of signings and events to get her freed. It is free and details are on the Cathedral’s site. The group was not invited to have a role.
South West Conference in Exeter on 22nd March. An enjoyable event with speakers and a chance to meet other groups.
Evensong at the Cathedral. Date tbc.
Market Stall, probably in May. If you have any items for the stall please save them up. We can collect if need be. No electricals please.
People in the Park on 17th May for most of the day.
Coffee Morning, St Thomas’s on 5th July starting at 10:00 or so until noon.
Write for Rights on 4th November. Details idc.
These details will be updated in due course. Hope you can make one of them!
We have pleasure in attaching the minutes and newsletter of our last meeting thanks to group member Lesley for the work in preparing them. We say ‘newsletter’ because they are more than just minutes of the meeting as they contain reports on the refugee and immigration system, a report on the death penalty and a list of future activities.
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.
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!
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!
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 