Walter Julius Wolfgang (born June, 1923) is a German-born British socialist and peace activist. He is currently Vice President of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Vice Chair of Labour CND and a supporter of the Stop the War Coalition. He became an unlikely hero after cameras recorded him being forcibly ejected from the annual Labour Party Conference in Brighton on September 28, 2005 during a speech on the Iraq War, in an incident that provoked much media comment and embarrassed the Labour leadership. {{year nav|1939 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament logo In British politics, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has been at the forefront of the peace movement in the United Kingdom and claims to be Europes largest single-issue peace campaign. ... The Stop the War Coalition (StWC) (informally just Stop the War) is a UK anti-war group set up on 21 September 2001. ... The Labour Party Conference, or annual national conference of the Labour Party, is formally the supreme decision-making body of the Party. ... For other places with the same name, see Brighton (disambiguation). ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ...

In August 2006 Wolfgang succeeded in his bid to become a member of Labour's National Executive Committee. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. ...

Background

Wolfgang was born in Germany. As Jews, his family suffered persecution under the Nazis, and in 1937 his parents arranged for the teenaged Walter to move from Frankfurt to Britain (this was before the start of the Kindertransport programme). Wolfgang attended Ottershaw College, Chertsey, while his parents followed him to Britain two years later and settled in Richmond. During World War II, Wolfgang volunteered to serve in the RAF but was rejected due to a physical condition. After the war, Wolfgang qualified as an accountant; he joined the Labour Party in 1948. He allied with the left and was Secretary of the Bevanite pressure group 'Victory for Socialism' from 1955 to 1958. He co-authored several of Victory for Socialism's pamphlets, including In Pursuit of Peace (1954) and The Red Sixties (1959); Wolfgang also assisted Hugh Jenkins in writing Summit Talks and on an unpublished work on Socialism in general in the late 1950s. National Socialism redirects here. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of World War II, when Britain took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, and the occupied territories of Austria, Czechoslovakia, and the Free City of Danzig. ... Map of Chertsey (from OpenStreetMap) Chertsey Bridge The Old Town Hall Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames, and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. ... Richmond is a suburb and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, England. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Accountancy (profession) or accounting (methodology) is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information primarily used by managers, investors, tax authorities and other decision makers to make resource allocation decisions. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... A statue of Bevan in Cardiff. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hugh Gater Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Putney, PC (27 July 1908 – 26 January 2004), was a British politician, campaigner and Labour Party member of Parliament and the House of Lords. ... // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ...

In 1956, Wolfgang co-wrote a pamphlet Tho' Cowards Flinch calling for all meetings of the Parliamentary Labour Party to be made open meetings for the press to report, and for the abolition of the standing orders of the PLP in order to allow Labour MPs freedom to defy the Labour whip. In the 1959 general election, Wolfgang was Labour candidate for Croydon North East, polling 15,440 votes, losing to sitting Conservative Member of Parliament, John Hughes-Hallett. Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In politics, a whip is a member of a political party in a legislature whose task is to ensure that members of the party attend and vote as the party leadership desires. ... This United Kingdom general election was held on October 8, 1959, and marked a third successive victory for the ruling Conservative party, led by Harold MacMillan. ... Croydon North East was formerly a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Vice-Admiral John Hughes-Hallett (December 1901 – 1972) was a British naval commander and politician. ...

Nuclear disarmament

Wolfgang was a founder member of CND in 1958, participating in the group's first march in Aldermaston, Berkshire. After Hugh Gaitskell vowed to overturn the 1960 conference's decision to support unilateral nuclear disarmament and won sufficient support to make it likely that he would do so in 1961, Wolfgang wrote a pamphlet called Let Labour Lead which asserted that those who supported unilateralism would adopt Gaitskell's slogan and "fight, and fight, and fight again" to save the Labour Party. Leading a revival of the Aldermaston March in 1972, Wolfgang asserted that there was a 50–50 chance that nuclear weapons would be scrapped before the world was destroyed by them. Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... View of Aldermaston village circa 1959 Aldermaston is a village in the English county of Berkshire, two miles north of Tadley. ... Berks redirects here. ... Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell (April 9, 1906 – January 18, 1963) was a British politician, leader of the Labour Party from 1955 until his death in 1963. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Unilateral disarmament is a policy option, to renounce weapons without seeking equivalent concessions from ones actual or potential rivals. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

In 1961 Wolfgang joined the more radical section of CND in seceding to the Committee of 100 where he became Chairman of the London Executive. He organised a protest on November 1, 1961 in which he delivered a milk bottle labelled "Danger — Radioactive" to the Soviet Union embassy in London in protest at the detonation of Tsar Bomba, at 50 megatons the largest nuclear explosive to ever be tested. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... For the Chinese-American organisation, see Committee of 100 (United States). ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 4 milk bottles in a crate Milk bottles are reusable glass bottles used mainly for doorstep delivery of fresh milk by milkmen. ... A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one nation state present in another nation state to represent the sending state in the receiving State. ... A Tsar Bomba-type casing on display at Chelyabinsk-70 . ...

As the delegate of Richmond-upon-Thames CLP at the 1972 Labour Party conference, Wolfgang made two speeches, one calling for nationalisation of land and the other moving an amendment to withdraw Britain from NATO and abandon nuclear weapons. In the late 1970s Wolfgang was a leading member of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, which campaigned for reforms to the Labour Party structure to give constituency parties more power. A Constituency Labour Party (CLP) is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Nationalization is the act of taking assets into state ownership. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation[2] (NATO; French: ; also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance, or the Western Alliance) is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

2005 conference

Wolfgang attended the 2005 Labour Party conference as a visitor and sat in the part of the hall reserved for visitors, which is at the back. During a speech by the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, in response to Straw's comment that "We are in Iraq for one reason only: to help the elected Iraqi government build a secure, democratic and stable nation", Wolfgang shouted "Nonsense!". Some witnesses claimed he then may have added "That's a lie and you know it!" and/or "Pack of lies!". The title of Foreign Secretary has been traditionally used to refer to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... The Iraqi Interim matt chokes on cock Government was created by the United States and its coalition allies as a caretaker government to govern Iraq until the Iraqi Transitional Government was installed following the Iraqi National Assembly election conducted on January 30th, 2005. ... Democracy (literally rule by the people, from the Greek demos, people, and kratos, rule[1]) is a form of government. ...

The researcher for National Assembly for Wales member Leighton Andrews, David Taylor was watching the speech live on Sky News outside the conference hall, and is reported to have shouted in to his radio: "You can hear the f***ing heckling on Sky News. Shut them up, or take them out."^[1] The National Assembly for Wales (NAW or NAfW) (Welsh: ) is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. ... Leighton Andrews (born Cardiff) is a Welsh Labour politician, currently the National Assembly for Wales member for Rhondda. ... Sky News is a British television News channel which started as part of the four channel Sky Television network in February 1989. ...

In full view of the television cameras, much larger Conference stewards, who were on alert for any attempts to disrupt the speech, then physically picked up and forcibly removed the frail-looking, diminutive elderly man and confiscated his security pass. Erith and Thamesmead Constituency Labour Party chairman Steve Forrest, who was sitting nearby, was also removed (more forcibly) for voicing his objections to Wolfgang's treatment. When Wolfgang attempted to re-enter the conference later the same day, his pass showed that he had been removed previously, and he was briefly held by police under section 44 of the Terrorism Act. Erith and Thamesmead is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... A Constituency Labour Party (CLP) is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. ... The Terrorism Act 2000 is a current United Kingdom Act of Parliament - An Act to make provision about terrorism; and to make temporary provision for Northern Ireland about the prosecution and punishment of certain offences, the preservation of peace and the maintenance of order. ...

Reaction

The Labour Party leadership quickly apologised for the 'heavy-handedness' of the incident, but Party Chairman Ian McCartney said on the BBC's programme Newsnight that evening that the conference had the right to expel repeated hecklers. The following day McCartney appeared before the media with Mr Wolfgang and personally apologised to him. Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, apologised to Wolfgang on the following day's Today programme on BBC Radio 4 and BBC's Breakfast television programme, stating that he should not have been removed. The Right Honourable Ian McCartney (born April 25, 1951 in Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire) is a British politician. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... Newsnight is a British daily news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast between 22:30 and 23:20 on weekdays on BBC Two. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the the United Kingdom. ... Today, sometimes referred to as the Today programme to avoid ambiguity, is BBC Radio 4s long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, which is now broadcast from 6am to 9am from Monday to Friday and from 7am to 9am on Saturdays. ... BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Wolfgang justified his actions by saying "when you have an international debate that does not deal adequately with the international issues of the day, the least you can do, if someone is talking nonsense, is say so". He was quickly hailed as a hero by sections of the Labour Party and sections of the media. His expulsion, and the use of anti-terrorism legislation, were commented upon both on the political left and right as symptomatic of an increasingly authoritarian tendency in the Labour Government and the gradual erosion of civil liberties. The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... Anti-terrorism legislation designs all types of laws passed in the purported aim of fighting terrorism. ... Bold text:This article applies to political ideologies. ... Civil liberties is the name given to freedoms that protect the individual from government. ...

Wolfgang's pass to the Labour party conference was at first withdrawn following the incident, but this decision was later reversed and he returned to the conference the following day to a "hero's welcome".^[2] In his closing speech at the conference, John Reid said "I'm sorry about yesterday. … We didn't want it, it shouldn't have happened, it's not the way we do things. Everybody is really sorry and we apologise for that." John Reid (born 8 May 1947) is a British politician who is Home Secretary and Member of Parliament for the Scottish constituency of Airdrie and Shotts. ...

The incident seems to have offered useful propaganda for opponents of the Labour government, being held up by some as an example of authoritarianism, and one such opponent claimed that if Mr. Wolfgang had shouted "nonsense" twice, he could have been charged according to the Protection from Harassment Act which was primarily created to deter stalkers.^[3] This page deals with harassment in terms of UK law. ...

NEC candidacy

Wolfgang has been a member of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, a left-wing group which campaigns to reduce the power of the Labour leadership and increase the power of grassroots members. In 2006 he was chosen and elected as one of the Grassroots Alliance slate of candidates standing for election to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee, stating that he would be campaigning on a platform of opposition to the war on Iraq, rejecting the Royal Navy's Trident missile program, and making the Party more democratic. The centre-left Grassroots Alliance is a group of elected members on the British Labour Party National Executive Committee, founded in 1998. ... The National Executive Committee or NEC is the chief administrative body of the UK Labour Party. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... The Trident missile, named after the trident, is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which is armed with nuclear warheads and is launched from submarines (SSBNs), making it a SLBM. The Trident was built in two variants: the I (C4) UGM-96A and II (D5) UGM-133A. The C4 and D5...

On 3 August 2006 it was announced that he has been elected to the NEC, coming fourth in the election (the top 6 get seats). August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

References

1. ^ http://www.blairwatch.co.uk/node/441
2. ^ "Hero's return for Labour heckler", BBC News, 2005-09-29. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.
3. ^ "Protest is criminalised and the huffers and puffers say nothing", The Guardian, 2005-10-04.

The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

External links

• BBC News article
• Follow-up BBC News Article
• Heckler voted on to Labour's NEC - BBC News
• Guardian article
• Times article
• Daily Telegraph: Heckler - a Jewish refugee who joined Labour in 1948
• A letter from Walter Wolfgang to The Independent newspaper, 23rd January 2005
• Labour CND homepage