HUMAN SHIELDS TO IRAQ

A phone call from a bunch of activists in Soho had the Big Red Buses travelling from London to Baghdad to stand with ordinary Iraqis against impending invasion by US and UK armies. Our peace convoy arrived 15th February 2003, the day massive pro-peace demonstrations rocked the world and closed down London, New York, Washington, Madrid, Barcelona and many more cities the world over.



Traditional red London double-decker buses were chosen as a means of attracting the attention of the world’s media as volunteers, mostly from the wealthy white West, gave up their safety and security to offer themselves as shields for Iraqis in Baghdad against the aggression.



The strategy worked, as shields, encouraged by the Iraqi authorities and hugely popular in the region, set out to settle and protect by their presence vital civil installations against attack. Infrastructure targets; power stations, the water purification works, food storage and distribution facilities and a domestic fuel and petrol refinery, all bombed in 1991 and similar to those bombed elsewhere in Iraq in ‘Shock and Awe’ 2003, were saved and protected.



An adventure of epic proportions, brilliantly conceived and effectively executed, this action saved the city of Baghdad and its environs from a total lack of power, water, fuel and food in the immediate aftermath of war. More information will appear on this section of the Big Red Bus website as it is gathered and written.