Still objecting!
A spate of news stories has reminded the British public that conscientious objectors have not been consigned to history. Derek Brett shows that conscientious objection is very much a live issue
The Quaker Tapestry panel showing public humiliation, hostile tribunals and jail reflects the ongoing stark reality that faces conscientious objectors in many parts of the world today.
In Britain, we only remember conscientious objectors in the two world wars. My generation has been able to lead our entire lives as civilians, leaving the armed forces to those who volunteered or were recruited. And we think this is normal, just as our countrymen did in the nineteenth century. Without exception, the rest of Europe considered it normal that every young man would spend time in the army.
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