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THE father of a soldier killed in Iraq reduced anti-war protesters to tears at the weekend with a moving speech opposing British bombings in Syria.
Peter Brierley, whose son Shaun died in action in 2003, was addressing the thousands of people who attended Saturday’s Stop the War Coalition demonstration in London, where the Military Families Against the War spokesman took to the stage along with politicians and religious leaders.
“I lost my son and people often say to me: ‘I don’t know what it’s like. I can’t imagine what you feel like to have lost a son’,” said Mr Brierley.
“It’s only recently that I started thinking that, in a village in Syria or Afghanistan or Iraq, they are not losing a son, they are losing a family.
“They are losing their neighbours. They are losing practically their whole village. I cannot imagine how that feels.”
Speaking about David Cameron’s push for British air strikes in Syria, he added: “The gentleman in there thinks bombing brings peace — I wouldn’t want to live in his house. You cannot bring peace by bombing. The only way to bring peace is by negotiation.”
His words of solidarity with the Syrian people were delivered after a peaceful march from Broadcasting House to Downing Street brought traffic to a halt.
Syrian priest Nadim Nassar also addressed the march, saying: “It seems it is very difficult to learn from our history.
“I’ll tell you something. One party is winning: the warlords and those who are exporting and importing arms. Those are the winners on every occasion.”
