Quakers in Britain

@quaker.org.uk

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Faith community grounded in stillness. We believe in working together to create a more just, equal and peaceful world. Quakers in Britain, Friends House, NW1 2BJ. www.quaker.org.uk

Young people in a row holding up signs saying 'Quakers for Peace' at an outdoors demonstration. Photo: Mike Pinches
Paul Parker giving evidence at the Joint Committee on Human Rights
Paul Parker at the Joint Committee on Human Rights
Westminster Meeting House raided by Metropolitan Police again. Statement: “For Quakers, faith and action are inseparable. Peaceful protest, prayer and nonviolent action are integral parts of many Quakers' religious life. Whilst we take the planning of criminal acts very seriously, we believe that this incident is a deliberate targeting of committed young people who want to make our country a more equitable place. This raid is part of a systematic stifling of dissent. That this is the second time in a year that the police have raided our meeting house dramatically illuminates the broader trend in the UK of cracking down on those who disagree with the government. The right to protest is fundamental to our democracy. It's a key part of how people make their voices heard between elections.” – Oliver Robertson, Head of Witness and Worship Quakers in Britain, 5 March 2026
Text reads: spend three months in Palestine monitoring human rights abuses. Full training provided. Expenses covered. Living allowance. Closing date: Monday 16 March. Please note: we can only accept applications from those residing in the UK or Ireland. Text is overlaid over a photo of an ecumenical accompanier and a Palestinian woman who is pointing to something on the horizon. The two are standing together at the top of a hill at sunset, their backs to the camera, looking into the distance.
A Concordis staffer in Darfur facilitating a community consultation with a group of women as part of a peacebuilding project. The group is outside seated in shade.
Concordis staff working with a community group in the CAR. The photo shows conversation happening between different people at the table in an outdoor, porch-type setting.
A sepia coloured photograph of Anna Gurney. She is wearing a plain dress, shawl and mob cap. Her expression is carefully neutral but the ghost of a smile plays around the corners of her mouth and eyes. Photo from the collection of the Library of the Society of Friends.
Line drawing of Anna Gurney from a pamphlet held by the Library of the Society of Friends.
Video about the Stop SDSC-UK action outside the arms fair being held at Birmingham's NEC
Protesters in Westminster with Big Ben/Elizabeth Tower in the background and a person with a loudspeaker in the foreground. Text overlaid says 'Join the lobby of Parliament: Defend our right to protest, Tuesday 17 March, Parliament, London' with the logos of different civil society groups at the bottom
Close-up of several white pillar candle lanterns casting warm light, with blurred figures and purple ambient lighting in the background. Photo from the Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony in a previous year.
Grace and Shami Chakrabarti in a commitee room at the House of Lords
Around 20 people stand around a green banner reading Quakers for climate justice.
A man with a white beard, wearing a red beanie, Quakers for climate justice t-shirt and high-vis holds a rainbow peace flag. He is standing in front of the fence of RAF Lakenheath, the fence is adorned with handmade banners opposing nuclear weapons and advocating for peace.
A group of protesters holding signs, including a peace flag and a war starts here banner. They are standing outside the gates of a red brick office building next to a road.
A photo of several Quakers in blue Quakers for Peace t-shirts sitting cross-legged in worshipful silence.
A person cups a lit candle in their hands.
A graphic depicting Palestinians struggling to receive food aid. It gives the details of the Stop Starving Gaza Day of Action.
Bold white text on black background reads 'RED LINE FOR GAZA' with a vertical red line separating the words.
Two people standing in front of a Peer Mediation and Peacemakers stall
The Salter Lecture 2025 advert
The Conscientious Objectors' Commemorative Stone in Tavistock Square, central London, surrounded by white carnations tagged with the names of conscientious objectors past and present. The plaque reads "To all those who have established and are maintaining the right to refuse to kill. Their foresight and courage give us hope."
Ann shares what Quaker meeting for worship means to her.
We know that there are many trans and non-binary Friends who may be feeling sad, angry or deeply worried following yesterday’s Supreme Court judgment. In 2021 we acknowledged and affirmed the trans and gender diverse Friends in our Quaker communities, with glad hearts. The Supreme Court judgment does not change our unwavering commitment to upholding the spirit of the minute, which is clear in our intent to build a welcoming and loving community for all trans and gender diverse Friends. Remember that each one of you is unique, precious and a child of God.
Faith in action in an age of permacrisis, 20-22 June 2025. Exploring the possibilities, understanding the tensions. A joint conference from the Quaker Council for European Affairs and Quaker Peace & Social Witness (of Quakers in Britain).
Text reads: The escalating crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has left many dead, injured, and without water or electricity. Quakers in Britain call for all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law, ensure the protection of civilians, and facilitate the delivery of aid. We hold our Friends in the DRC and the region in the Light and pray for God's peace to prevail and an end to this violence.
In a bright room with lots of natural light from large clear windows, Quakers gather in 2-3 rows of a circle on benches and chairs in a blended meeting for worship. A TV screen in the corner shows people joining online. Photo: Mike Pinches
Text reads: This news is a crack of light during an unimaginably dark period. We welcome the reported deal’s commitments to release Israeli and Palestinian hostages and political prisoners, allow the return of Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homes by Israel, and accelerate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. This deal must not be an endpoint, but a step towards rapidly ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and ensuring a just, lasting peace for all Palestinians and Israelis. With more lives needlessly lost as each day passes, we pray all parties commit to its full implementation as quickly as possible. May loving hearts and cool heads prevail over the challenging days and weeks ahead.
With the Scottish Parliament in the background, Quakers join other members of the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition with colourful banners to call on MSPs to implement fast and fair climate action. Photo credit: Colin Hattersley
Four people posing for a photo in an office. Pictured from left to right are Judith Baker (Quakers in Britain's Interfaith and Ecumenical Officer), Wajid Khan (Life Peer and UK Government's Faiths Minister), Paul Parker (Quakers in Britain's Recording Clerk) and Joe Cox (Quakers in Britain's Advocacy and Media Manager)
Waldo Williams's poem ‘Mewn dau gae’ quoted in Quaker faith & practice 21.33, displayed in the original Welsh alongside its English translation 'In Two Fields'. The poem is too long in either language for alt text. Please use the link in the post to access the full text.
In a bright room with lots of natural light from large clear windows, Quakers gather in 2-3 rows of a circle on benches and chairs in a blended meeting for worship. A TV screen in the corner shows people joining online. Photo: Mike Pinches
Quote on a background of a bombed out residential building. "In this sacred season, as we ponder the words of the angels, 'Peace on earth', may these words become our mandate. When will the world realise that war and arms cannot bring peace?" - Rev Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem.
Headline: Quakers in Britain statement on ICC arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders. Statement: The news that arrest warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli and Hamas leaders sends a clear signal: no party to this violence is above the law. The focus now turns to the 124 member states of the ICC – including the United Kingdom – and what they will do to support the ICC's actions, uphold international law and its institutions, and enforce the warrants. Thirteen months in is 13 months too late for those who have already suffered unimaginably because of this violence. We pray the UK government is propelled into action by this news, not only to publicly support the ICC's investigations and enforce the warrants, but also to review its own complicity in enabling alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity to take place. This must include reviewing what pressure can be applied to ensure the unhindered flow of aid into Gaza and implementing a ban on all UK arms exports to Israel. We are unwavering in our belief that actions such as these are needed and justified to hasten the end of the violence. We pray the warrants – and our own government's reaction to them – will herald a desperately needed turning point for the region.
A tree's roots hold fast to rocks and earth as a waterfall cascades in the background
Four people in front of a 'faith and beliefs for climate justice' banner holding up paper people with hopes written on and an open letter from a Make Polluters Pay action