Howard Clark obituary

http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2013/dec/18/howard-clark-obituary

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Our friend Howard Clark, who has died suddenly aged 63, was a radical pacifist and full-time peace activist, organiser and researcher. As a student at the University of East Anglia from 1968 to 1971, he co-founded the UEA peace group and was a well-known figure on campus, always carrying a bundle of Peace News to sell.

Born in Bath into a Methodist family, Howard was educated at the city's Kingswood school. After graduating from UEA, he joined Peace News as a co-editor. During this time he helped to launch a number of campaigns and organisations including London Greenpeace, the British Withdrawal from Northern Ireland Campaign, Campaign Against Arms Trade and the At Ease organisation, offering counselling for members of the armed forces.

In 1976 he moved to York, where he threw himself into local community activities and grass-roots campaigning against racism and sexism. He also became involved in anti-nuclear power campaigning, and in May 1979 he was one of the coordinators of nonviolent training for the occupation of the Torness nuclear power site, near Dunbar, by the Torness Alliance.

After relocating to Bradford in 1980 he worked with the Alternative Defence Commission, which produced the report Defence Without the Bomb. Then in 1985 he landed his dream job – working with War Resisters International (WRI) from their London office.

Howard was an amazing networker – he listened to people, he remembered names and faces. Indeed, many of his friends feel that with his death they have lost part of their memory bank. During his time with WRI, he worked closely with nonviolent activists from around the globe: the End Conscription Campaign in South Africa, the peace and human rights groups in the Warsaw Pact countries of eastern Europe, citizens movements in South Asia and anti-conscription groups in South America. In 1994 he was one of the founders of the Balkan Peace Team and began his long involvement with nonviolent activists in Kosovo – resulting in the publication of his book Civil Resistance in Kosovo (2000).

In 1996 Howard moved to Madrid with his partner, Yolanda. Their son, Ismael, was born in 2000 followed by their daughter, Violeta, in 2002. They all survive him.

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