On the podcast this week, the writer and activist Symon Hill talks about protest and Christian faith. Symon was arrested on 11 September during the Proclamation of the King’s Accession in Oxford, after shouting “Who elected him?”. The charges against him were dropped earlier this month (News, 13 January).

He talks on the podcast about the importance of the right to protest peacefully, as well as about why he believes that forms of non-violent direct action are often necessary in the pursuit of justice, such as when campaigning against the arms trade.

He also talks about his new book, The Peace Protestors: A history of modern-day war resistance, which the Revd Fraser Dyer described as a “richly detailed and thoroughly readable history of the past forty years of peace protest in the UK” (Books, 23 December).

An extract from the book is published in this week’s Church Times, as well as a feature by Symon on activism and Christian faith. Read here: https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2023/27-january/features/features/symon-hill-my-arrest-for-querying-the-king.

The Peace Protestors is published by Pen and Sword History at £25 (CT Bookshop £22.50). https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk

As well as being a writer and activist, Symon works part-time for the Peace Pledge Union and teaches History and Religious Studies for the Workers’ Educational Association.

https://symonhill.org

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