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Walter Wolfgang

Walter was born in Frankfurt in 1923. As a Jew he was obliged to leave Germany in 1937. Having settled in London, Walter joined the Labour Party in 1948. He attended his first party conference in 1951, and has devoted himself to intelligent campaigning against aggressive foreign policy and unjust military action ever since.

In 2005 Walter attended the Labour Party conference as usual. He had settled into his seat on the fourth day, and listened patiently to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw tiptoe around the sleeping beast of Iraq. No debate of the issue had been allowed to occur so far, to Walter’s frustration.

“Straw came to sum up, and in so doing ‘sent me off. He came to Iraq and said, “Well, the only reason why we are in Iraq is that we wanted to bring democracy to Iraq”. It was too much for me and I burst out and shouted, “Nonsense”.’ Walter figured that he would be shushed by a steward for his outburst. ‘Instead of that, two heavies came and tried to lift me out of my seat. I said, “Now look. I’m 82. I’m not very well. If you want me to leave the conference I will, but don’t lift me out of my seat.”

As several of these ‘toughs’ descended on Walter, a man who shouted support, NEC union official Steve Forest, was ‘actually pummelled’. Forest’s credentials were removed and he was physically ejected. Outside the auditorium, Walter was also told to leave. ‘I had an immense shock, you see. I mean, I wasn’t very well, that’s number one. Secondly, I never believed for one minute that they would, of all people, throw me out of the conference. I had far too many friends, and I didn’t think they would be that crazy.’

When Walter attempted to re-enter the conference, he found his way barred. He then discovered first-hand what confusion the slew of new laws which have cascaded from parliament in the last few years can cause – and how broadly the definition of ‘act of terror’ can be stretched. He was detained by a police officer, who told him he was stopping him under the Terrorism Act.

To find out what has happened to Walter please watch Taking Liberties and read the accompanying book.

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