Archives

Facing the Enemy

The award winning BBC documentary about Jo's early meetings with Pat Magee.

BBC Twos Everyman tells the story of the daughter of a Brighton bomb victim, her painful journey towards meeting and talking with the man who killed her father.
Jo Berry is the daughter of Sir Anthony Berry, former MP for Enfield Southgate and a junior minister in Margaret Thatcher's government.

Video of Jo, Pat and Harvey Thomas

Andy Andrews interviews:

Harvey Thomas, Margaret Thatcher's Director of Communications,
Jo Berry, daughter of Sir Anthony Berry,
and the IRA Brighton Bomber himself - Patrick Magee
and they talk about the power of forgiveness.

The Bomb

A play by By Kevin Dyer

In 1984, an IRA bomb was planted in the Grand Hotel, Brighton killing five people and injuring dozens more. In 2000, Jo Berry, whose father was killed in the blast, met Patrick Magee, the man who planted the bomb, for the first time.

This gripping drama is inspired by these events and builds towards the meeting of these two extraordinary people; one who killed in the name of justice, the other who refused to be a victim forever.

As the clock ticks a mother and daughter's relationship is thrown into turmoil as they confront the past. Together, all three characters go looking for peace in a place beyond hatred and retribution. A short video extract from the play.

Recent Events

Together for Peace

In November last year I returned to Leeds to be part of a panel during their Festival of Peace.

This was organised by the inspiring group, Together For Peace, who have the wonderful vision of transforming Leeds into a 'workshop for peace', a place where people work hard and creatively together to tackle and transform tension and conflict, to make an increasingly just and peaceful city.

Trust-building Conference

A conference jointly sponsored by the centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Contemporary Political Violence (CSRV) and the David Davis Memorial Institute of International Studies (DDMI), Aberystwyth University. Held at the University Conference Centre, Gregynog, the aim of this conference was to examine the role of trust-building in conflict transformation, particularly as it relates to violent conflicts where actors have frequently employed terrorism as a contentious strategy.

In a unique blend of presentations by leading scholars and political figures and interactive problem-solving sessions, participants explored a range of important issues, including: the theoretical foundations of trust in conflict processes; trust and the effects of terrorism; practical cases of trust-building and dialogue in cases of recent and ongoing violent conflicts; trust-building as an alternative to radicalisation; and more.

Photo:- Professor Wheeler, Jo Berry, and Patrick McGee