Zimbabwe Vigil members present petition to 10 Downing Street in the UK

By Violet Gonda
13 October 2005

Members of the Zimbabwe vigil marched from the Zimbabwe Embassy to Prime Minister Tony Blair’s office in London Thursday to hand in a petition. The pressure group, that marked it’s 3 rd anniversary Wednesday, collected signatures from thousands of people concerned about the crisis in Zimbabwe.

The group, which was joined by British Labour MP Kate Hoey, is calling for Tony Blair to put the Zimbabwe issue high on the agenda of the EU council and G8 in his capacity as the chairman of these two bodies. The Zimbabwe Vigil is calling on world leaders not to legitimise Mugabe anymore and press for him to be tried for crimes against humanity.

Kate Hoey, who is also the Chair of the all-party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe, called on Tony Blair to bring the Zimbabwe situation to the attention of the UN Security Council.

Hoey said Blair should also use his position to put a halt on the deportations of Zimbabwean asylum seekers. She said more pressure was also need on influential leaders like South African President Thabo Mbeki to allow democracy in Zimbabwe.

The petition was carried to Downing Street by Zimbabwean exiles in a symbolic “walk to work” from the Zimbabwe Embassy in the Strand.