The Iraq War Peace Bus

Kirsty Wark reunites a group of people who travelled in double decker buses from Britain to Baghdad to act as human shields at the start of the Iraq War.

President George Bush’s “War on Terror” put the focus on Iraq’s suspected cache of Weapons of Mass Destruction. UN weapons inspectors carried out 700 searches but despite finding nothing, US and western allies joined forces to invade Iraq. But many were unconvinced about the case for war and took matters into their own hands.

On a bright January morning in 2003, three buses set off from London for Iraq. On board were people of all ages and walks of life who had committed to become “human shields” – placing themselves at strategic sites to deter allied bomb attacks. Among the 50 passengers were a former diplomat, an Australian Big Brother contestant, a Big Issue seller from Lincoln and a Croydon hairdresser.

The journey was supposed to take two weeks, but break-downs and harsh weather added a nearly a week to the journey. There were freezing nights sleeping on the bus and internecine arguments, but incredible welcomes from supporters en route and VIP police escorts. The convoy finally arrived in Baghdad on 15th February – the same day as historic anti-war protests around the globe.

Joining Kirsty to discuss this incredible journey are Joe Letts who owned two of the buses and the taxi, Sue Darling who had been a diplomat for more than 20 years, Parisian truck driver Alex Benuraud who drove through snowstorms and jubilant crowds, Charlotte Edwardes who joined the trip to document it for the Sunday Telegraph, and Donna Mulhearn, an Australian who heard about the trip on the radio and dropped all plans to join the Shields.

Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Karen Pirie
Series Producer: David Prest

A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4