It was a scorching day outside Parliament; the sun beat down on both sets of protestors as it was revealed that, in a landmark result, MPs had made the choice to legalise assisted dying. The result was doomed to be controversial, whichever side triumphed there would be questions raised surrounding its morality. 

I arrived at the Square just after the result was announced, armed with a camera and my voice notes app in the hope of speaking to some campaigners from both sides. It was a messy scene. On the left, a sizeable crowd of pro-bill ‘Dignity in Dying’ campaigners, mostly decked out in bright pink shirts, were celebrating and hugging one another. On the right, a few dismayed anti-bill campaigners holding signs milled around, occasionally breaking out into song - usually hymns. Despite the heat and controversy, the atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed - there were never any whispers that the tensions could boil over into something physical, and the significant number of Met police who had been called to watch the event seemed to be unbothered. 

I decided to broach the ‘pro-bill’ side of the square first, pushing my way through the discarded placards to try and capture a few pictures of the bigger players and protesters. It was here that I encountered Katie, a long-time campaigner from ‘Dignity in Dying’, who kindly volunteered to conduct an interview with me despite the noise, heat and photo opportunities with various different MPs. Clad in a bright pink shirt (which blended in with the crowd) we attempted to navigate her feelings on the difficult topic of the bill through the chaos that was rapidly unfolding around us.

For Katie, it’s seemed to be clear that the idea of being able to choose your own death has been on mind for a number of years. Citing the 1972 television play ‘Whose Life Is It Anyways’ as a moment of clarity, she shared how it seemed ‘obvious… that everybody could have [the] choice’ surrounding their own death. I was quickly struck by Katie’s conviction on the subject - she’s been with ‘Dignity in Dying’ since 2005, and stuck with the group through her husband's Motor Neuron Disease diagnosis. It wasn’t long before I got the sense that she had become one of the group’s designated interviewees, and I was impressed with her boundless enthusiasm for the cause despite her admittance that she had been standing on the Square for around five hours. 

Katie is one of the rare protesters I meet who can no longer truly be classed as a protester, or even campaigner - her purpose has been fulfilled. The House of Commons has passed the legislation to enable the Bill to proceed, and it’s now up to the Lords to duly scrutinise and process the bill. For Katie, this doesn’t seem to present much of a problem. ‘I suspect the Lords will do what they are here to do…’ she informed me as we baked in the sun, ‘but… I don’t see there’s going to be too much of a problem’. She smiles at me as the noise of the interviews going on behind us and the buzz of central London quietens down. ‘I can sleep’. 

Buoyed by the experience of interviewing Katie, I headed across to the right hand side of the square in an attempt to contact a member of the opposing side. Unsurprisingly, it was a decidedly more somber affair, around half an hour now after the result of the vote had been called, and most of the campaigners had headed home, leaving swathes of placards and a couple of sweaty stragglers strewn across the yellowing grass. As I stopped to organise my belongings, I was introduced to Carl, a Gen-Z representative from the body that had organised at least some of the anti-bill protest, Christian Concern. I asked if he had the time to stick around for a quick chat, and he was more than happy to oblige. 

Much of Carl’s resistance to the passage of the bill stemmed from his strong Christian faith - he spun me a powerful tale of a young man finding himself through religion, a faith so strong it led him to stand outside Parliament for over eight hours in the heat of the day. Even in the first moments of the interview, Carl’s passion and conviction shone through his words. Describing the Assisted Dying Bill as the ‘Assisted Suicide Bill’, he argued that his actions on the Square stemmed from his strong desire to save people from ‘accepting eternal damnation sooner’. Throughout our conversation, Carl’s voice held strong, and his convictions held clear despite being one of the younger members at the event. 

Despite their differences, both Carl and Katie agreed that the atmosphere on the Square had been mostly positive. Although there had been a ‘little bit of hostility’ during one of the pro-bill talks earlier in the day, most people had remained remarkably relaxed. Carl confirmed this, informing me that despite his ‘disappointment’ in the outcome of the vote, the ‘spirits were high’ throughout the day. The turnout for both camps was high and diverse, something which Katie quickly picked up on during our conversation. ‘It’s good to see lots of younger people getting involved. It’s really good.’ The idea that protesting can be positive, even fun, was something important for You Political - getting involved in politics shouldn't be all about joining a party or running for office, having the courage to show up and voice your opinion is just as important. And, as Katie said with a knowing smile to me, ‘sometimes it works’,

All photo credit to Hope Watts of You Political

Special thanks to A.R. for editing and advising on elements of this article - much appreciated.