Celebrating the life of Bruce Kent

A sad day but a great celebration at the funeral today of peace activist Bruce Kent. Bruce died last month at the age of 92. His life was one of witness and activism in the cause of justice and peace People came from far and wide to his parish church of At Melitus in Haringey to say goodbye. (Westminster Cathedral had been offered but Bruce was essentially a man of the parish). He was a Catholic priest for many years before leaving to pursue his work outside. He then married Valerie Flessati - his wife and collaborator for more than 30 years. Bruce was deeply involved in the peace movement, becoming secretary general and later chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. He was also vice president of the Catholic peace organisation Pax Christi. Among his many actions, Bruce spoke out against the siting of nuclear missiles on Greenham Common in the 1980s. In 1983, the BBC Radio 4 Today program named him the man of the year. Margaret Thatcher was the woman of the year. (That old BBC balance never fails). Bruce was steadfast over decades in opposing nuclear weapons and war. The early noughties were a busy time, which saw him constantly speaking out against wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was a regular at Glastonbury. Bruce was also active in support of prisoners, pursuing the cause of many who had been wrongly incarcerated. He also supported a man, who was put under a control order in the days of the war on terror. A Labour Party supporter, Bruce stood for the Parliamentary seat of Oxford West and Abingdon - he unfortunately lost He was also a strong supporter of his constituency MP Jeremy Corbyn. Jeremy was among those attending the funeral. The funeral was a joyous celebration of a great life of advocacy. Friends and family came together to celebrate a life well lived. Bruce will be missed but his legacy will live on with the peace movement