Out standing: Richard Stewart on running a vigil

‘We were introduced to a factor we hadn’t encountered before.’

For many decades our Ipswich Meeting has been involved in vigils. These have ranged from two people standing with placards in Ipswich town centre, to the national protest against the Iraq war, in London. Our latest vigil, at the end of July, was a protest against a military show held at Suffolk’s largest showground on the edge of Ipswich.

At this most recent vigil, we were introduced to a factor we hadn’t encountered before: cars. This was our first vigil where the people we wanted to witness to were inside their own vehicles (despite a regular bus service with a stop only two hundred yards away). So we positioned ourselves, with a large banner and sandwich boards, close to the showground entrance. Cars had to slow down to negotiate a nearby roundabout, but only one stopped to engage with us, saying that we wouldn’t have been able to conduct our protest had it not been for world war two. Two representatives from the organisers came for a friendly conversation, surprisingly asking why we were there and seeking our permission to take a photo. Some of us agreed, once I had been given an assurance that, if the image went on their website, no caption would be added. Afterwards, some thought we should have said no, because the pictures end up on a national ‘troublemaker’ database. We did get a number of car hoots of approval. Several of those leaving the show gave us a ‘thumbs up’, probably ironically.

For those planning a Quaker vigil, I would suggest that the following factors need to be considered. First get police approval, especially about where you stand. Our current warden was a police officer, which helps. You need a planning meeting to cover date, time, duration, whether the vigil will be silent, what to do in bad weather, and which placards to use. Also consider if leaflets could be distributed. As far as possible, find out who will be there and whether to invite other Meetings. Also decide if it is to be a Quaker vigil or one with other relevant groups. If these are invited, make sure they are informed about all of the above decisions. I can remember our acute embarrassment when a non-Quaker started to have a loud and aggressive argument with a passing man. Another time, I had to firmly move two arguing people behind our line to point out to them that they were there to promote peace, not conflict.

Sandwich boards are ideal since you don’t have to hold onto them. They can also be reversed halfway through the vigil. If it is a silent vigil, have one person on the end of the line to answer any public questions. One of our most successful vigils was with the local Buddhists, who sat with us silently. Placards should ideally have a short message. This time mine simply read ‘Quaker Vigil For Peace’.

Finally, even if there is little reaction or engagement from those passing, always remember the main reason for such vigils. Friends, we are bearing personal witness to the Quaker Peace Testimony.

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