Skip to main content
Lines in memory of Irish Chartist James Bronterre O’Brien … and Blair Peach
BERNARD REGAN gave this year’s Abney Park Trust Bronterre O’Brien commemorative address cautioning against allowing the ruling class to rewrite our radical history. The Star prints here an edited version of his speech

I WANT to dedicate these words to a friend of mine, Blair Peach, who was murdered by the police 40 years ago. 

Blair lived in Hackney — he too, like Bronterre O’Brien, came to this country from abroad — from New Zealand — and became politically active here. 

He was an educationalist dedicated to the education of working-class children in Tower Hamlets where we worked together and he was a passionate campaigner against racism and social injustice — a revolutionary.

Take out shares in the People's Press
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
BROTHERS IN ARMS: Fidel Castro welcomes Yasser Arafat on his
Features / 24 February 2024
24 February 2024
Cuba has stood unswervingly by Palestine since 1947 guided by its own rejection of imperialist lawlessness, writes BERNARD REGAN
British policemen disperse an Arab crowd during the Jaffa ri
Features / 18 February 2024
18 February 2024
BERNARD REGAN traces the origins of the Israeli armed forces’ barbaric practices back to the past masters — the British
Children wear masks against coronavirus in Havana, Cuba
Features / 26 August 2021
26 August 2021
President Biden has not removed a single one of Trump’s sanctions since taking office, writes BERNARD REGAN
Features / 16 May 2021
16 May 2021
The Johnson government has already passed laws – and is proposing new laws – which will restrict freedom of expression. The left must resist this assault on our rights, says BERNARD REGAN
Similar stories
Edna O'Brien in London, 1971
Documentary / 17 April 2025
17 April 2025

A beautifully-crafted documentary from Sinéad O’Shea

The Lion In Winter, July 20, 2024
Horse Racing / 15 August 2024
15 August 2024
AGAINST BRAINWASHING: (L) Magdalen Laundry in Ireland, early
Appreciation / 6 August 2024
6 August 2024
FIONA O’CONNOR treasures the work of Edna O’Brien for the depth of evocation of psychologies, desires and losses among ordinary lives