40 years ago, when Sir Anthony Berry MP was killed in the IRA Brighton Bombing during the 1984 Tory Party Conference, his daughter Jo stepped into a world of conflict she barely knew. In November 2000 she met Patrick Magee, the former IRA activist responsible for her father’s death. This encounter has deepened her awareness that violence only begets violence. Only through building bridges, can people from all sides enter in spaces where dialogue about peace is possible.
On 30th May, in Brighton, the GHfP Institute co-hosted the screening of a film entitled “The Hardest Bridge” as part of Brighton Festival Fringe. Through recounting Jo and Patrick’s respective stories and shared journeys over last 25 years, this moving documentary explores the historical roots of violent conflict, the legacies of structural injustice, the choices each person is facing and our individual and collective responsibility for peace. More importantly, it captures the process of developing the least likely friendship between Jo Berry and Patrick Magee whose collaboration demonstrates the power of listening, dialogue and reconciliation.
Prof Scherto Gill facilitated the Q&A between the film’s director, Dr Imad Karam, an award-winning British Palestinian film director, and peace activist, and an enthusiastically engaged audience.