PSC was deeply saddened to hear of the death of Bruce Kent on June 8th. As well as being a towering figure within the peace movement and especially as a leading figure within CND and Pax Christi, Bruce was a great friend of the Palestinian people and someone PSC was proud to have as a patron for over 20 years. We will miss him for his leadership and his friendship, and miss his presence in the office we share with CND.
Below is a personal tribute on behalf of PSC from our honorary President Betty Hunter:
Bruce will of course be remembered for his unique contribution to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and more generally to peace campaigns. As a young trade unionist and campaigner at Greenham Common I was well aware of the power of his support. So when the Palestine Solidarity Campaign began to build a mass movement from 2001, I approached Bruce to become a patron of PSC and join our early supporters, Tony Benn and Jeremy Corbyn. He agreed immediately and his contribution was invaluable. He was a gentle and kind advisor and a listener.
At our early demonstrations for Palestine Bruce spoke eloquently and powerfully for the cause of Palestinian rights and demonstrated visibly that people of all faiths could work together for this cause. It was a huge help to us.
As well as his charismatic public speaking, Bruce was a friend to PSC at patron’s discussions with helpful and astute advice obviously gleaned from his vast experience of campaigning. His integrity and commitment was an example to us all. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy remains and is manifested in PSC’s continuous partnership work with CND and Pax Christi.