A tribute and obituary to David Lear, photographer who died at Palestine Action protest

The memorial service for David Lear, the photographer who tragically died during while filming a protest in support of hunger-striking political prisoners was held yesterday. Trade unionist Steve Hedley, who knew David well, has written the following about his late friend, submitted with the approval of David’s family.

David Lear if he had to go would probably have scripted his exit from this mortal coil in exactly the way it unfolded. David was taken by God on the 15th November whilst at a protest for Palestinian hunger striker Kamran Ahmed. David was outside Pentonville prison with other protesters and simultaneously broadcasting a livestream of the events unfolding. He even had his favourite tea bags on him as he’d just returned from the shop. We had just witnessed a local racist attacking a supporter of the hunger strike and David had raced across the road to capture the offender on camera. David had health problems and his heart gave way. Perhaps the adrenaline of events contributed to his demise but we can only speculate. He was, I believe, too good for this world and now sits with the almighty.

David Lear remembered

I loved David, we agreed on a lot, Socialism, Palestine, justice, but disagreed a lot as well on things like climate change and the need for political parties. We never quarrelled – which given my temperament is a testament to his patience and good humour. We would communicate daily even if it was to share memes or alternatively vent for hours on the phone decrying the state of the world and, of course, coming up with solutions that often included “rehabilitating” MPs, councillors and anyone involved in bourgeois politics.

David told me he  was of Jewish/German and English heritage, was raised in Wales from the age of 3 and could speak the language. He was an atheist who later became a Christian and converted to Islam later in his life (he never actually told me of his conversion and I didn’t know until his funeral was announced). He embodied all that is good in the three Abrahamic traditions: kindness, generosity, honesty and absolute fearlessness.

David hated hypocrites and challenged injustice at every turn. He stood up to the police, fascists, Zionists, the government, the local council, and to trade union bureaucrats. He did these things to help others and had no selfish motives. We actually met on a picket line where David put himself in danger from thug security guards to cover a story about  Petrit Mihaj being sacked. Ironically David’s honesty led him a decade later to stand outside the trade union office that subsequently sacked Petrit again, for months, covering a picket that nobody in the mainstream media or the so-called left media would touch. The man was heroic, in fact a Celtic hero who loved his native Wales and Ireland, which he also campaigned to free from British rule.

David’s passion

David ’s career straddled working for the BBC on Panorama, telecommunications, independent media and, of course, fearless reporting. His company, Islington Free News, which he ran with his partner in crime Donny, kept politicians and bureaucrats of all persuasions on their toes and accountable. I met two of David’s children, his daughter and his son Lawrence, on pickets they’d attended with them. Lawrence has an encyclopaedic knowledge of transport and his daughter is a campaigner for justice like her father. She’s also a mother herself and his grandchild brought David enormous joy and pride. He is sorely missed by us all, but I know his family are absolutely devastated.

David’s true passion as a campaigner was to seek justice for Palestine. He was outraged by the Gaza genocide and sickened that our Labour government continues to arm Israel. He was fully in support of the Filton 24 and other political prisoners. David raged about the creeping authoritarianism which sought to  silence dissent in Britain by criminalising protest and ridiculously labelling it terrorism. He had a vast knowledge about previous direct action groups like the suffragettes. He rang me in a fury when he saw Yvette Cooper, Harriet Harman and many other hypocrites dressed like suffragettes in Parliament whilst simultaneously banning Palestine action as a proscribed organisation.

Expose injustice

A fitting tribute to David would be for everyone to continue his work to  expose injustice and to speak the truth. Above all he would want us to ensure that the hunger strikers were freed and Palestine was liberated. We should all aspire to be like David Lear.

A candlelit vigil will be held for David on Saturday 6th December at 6pm outside Pentonville prison (nearest station Caledonian Road on the Piccadilly line or Caledonian Road and Barnsbury on the Overground). Please attend if you can to remember a class fighter the likes of which will never be seen again.

Featured image via the Canary