VETERAN peace campaigner and former Barking resident Brian Haw has died after losing a long battle with cancer.
The 62-year-old became famous after setting up camp outside the Houses of Parliament in June 2001 at first to object against sanctions and bombing raids in Iraq but his protest later included the war in Afghanistan.
His colourful demonstration which included hand-written banners and a tent decorated with pictures of war victims became a popular sight amongst visitors to the area but there were numerous failed attempts to evict him.
In a statement on his website, his family said: “He left us in his sleep in no pain.”
The campaigner, who was born a twin and trained as carpenter, was the eldest of seven children and lived in Barking with his family early on in life before they moved to Whitstable in Kent. He died in Germany on Saturday where he was receiving treatment for cancer.
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