Brian Haw, British peace activist, dies

LONDON -- To some, he was a crackpot, an eyesore camped out on prime London real estate. To others he was an inspiration, tirelessly fighting for civil rights.

Brian Haw, a veteran British peace activist best known for staging round-the-clock protests outside London's Parliament continually for 10 years, has died at age 62.

Haw died Saturday in Germany where he was receiving treatment for lung cancer, his family said Sunday.

Haw set up camp opposite the Houses of Parliament in June 2001 to protest U.S. and British bombing raids on Iraq. His protest soon widened in scope in the following years, with the invasion of Afghanistan. Over the years, British officials tried -- but failed -- to shut down his protests and remove him from Parliament Square.

This year he moved to the sidewalk after the Greater London Authority received permission to evict Haw and his supporters from the grass area of the square.

Last year, Haw told reporters: "We're there because our country is committing infanticide, genocide, the looting of nations. I'm determined to be there until they kill me." Many did not take kindly to him -- passersby often shouted abuse at him, and Haw scuffled with critics several times. Nonetheless, Haw always returned to his chosen spot.

A father of seven, he had told reporters that he left his family to campaign for other families in war zones around the world.

An evangelical Christian, he traveled to places torn by conflict -- he went to Northern Ireland during The Troubles, and to Cambodia to visit the killing fields as the country tried to heal after years of warfare. He also worked with troubled youth before starting his protest in 2001.