One mans fight for a fairer world

here was a moment when I thought he was going to floor me. Political campaigner Peter Tatchell is talking about the day he went toe-to-toe with Mike Tyson. The Australian-born activist confronted the former heavy weight boxing champion outside a gym in Memphis, Tennessee, just days before his fight against Britains Lennox Lewis in June 2002.In Tatchell v Tyson, the campaigner told the boxer off for his use of the

Peter Tatchell; Portrait of a serial campaigner

homophobic word faggot. Speaking about the time he ambushed the boxer, Mr Tatchell said: His initial reaction was to spring into defensive mode. Momentarily he raised his fist as though he was going to flatten me but then he saw the TV crews and photographers and obviously decided that was not a smart move. When challenged over his homophobia, Tyson backed and apologised. I was surprised how upset he was at the accusation that he was homophobic. He was visibly distressed. Hes very necessary. For most people, having a go at Mike Tyson would be the Incredibly brave doing most frightening thing they will ever do. But for Mr good work in a world Tatchell, It was just another day at the office. The Gay where most people are campaigner has bravely put himself in harms way to fight too timid Elton John a number of controversial causes. He turned 60 last week, marking 45 years of human rights activism. In the period, he has been beaten up on more than 300 occasions, arrested more than100 times, participated in 3,000 protests and received more than 500 death threats. A live bullet has been sent through his letterbox and his south London home has been targeted by vandals more than 100 times. Its quite frightening to live under that scale of almost constant violent threat he admitted. Its made me quite nervy and jumpy but I survive. Despite years of attacks from homophobes and Neo-Nazis, it is difficult to imagine the celebrated LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender campaigner being scared of anything. He threw himself in front of then Prime Minister Tony Blairs car in 2003 to protest against the Iraq war. Two years earlier, he was beaten unconscious after attempting to arrest Robert Mugabe in Brussels.

Robert Mugabe Mr Tatchell tried to carry out two citizens arrest of the president of Zimbabwe, on grounds of torture and human rights abuses, one in London in 1999, the second in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel in Brussels in March 2001. On this occasion, he was beaten unconscious by Mugabes guards.

It was the second time he had tried a

Tatchell. I was very confident I had all the evidence necessary to put Mugabe on trial on charges of torture- I had a verified dossier from Amnesty International and the case was watertight. It still angers me greatly that the British and Belgian governments allowed him to get away. Mr Tatchells interest in human rights began in his native Australia. As a teenager, he championed the rights of Aborigines but his first major campaign was that of Ronald Ryan- the last person to be handed the death penalty in Australia. Ryan, who was found guilty of shooting a prison officer dead during a botched escape attempt.

citizens arrest on the Zimbabwean president and the beating left him with some brain and eye damage. I felt it was my duty to try to get him arrested for the sake of the people in Zimbabwe who were being beaten, arrested, tortured and even killed, said Mr

The Church Feb3, 2012 Marks the 45th anniversary of his Mr Tatchell, along with fellow hanging. members of LGBT rights group Mr Tatchell, then 15, used an autopsy report to claim the trajectory of the bullet that killed the officer could Outrage!, interrupted then Archbishop of Canterbury not have come from Ryans gun. George Carys Easter sermon in Instead, he suggested that the man may have been 1998 in protest at the killed in crossfire from other prison officers- leading Archbishops support for laws to doubts that have since been debated for decades. that discriminated against Ryan was not guilty beyond reasonable doubt and that inspired my lifelong scepticism of authority, said lesbians and gay men. This resulted in Mr Tatchells sole Mr Tatchell. I was against the death penalty full stop. It is state- sanctioned murder. It has been 10 years since the Peter Tatchell Foundation was established and campaign life is as busy as ever. Fighting the ban on same-sex marriages is currently on the agenda and other projects Tony Blair He ambushed the then prime ministers motorcade in March 2003 to protest at the impending war in Iraq. Mr Tatchell ran in front of Mr Blairs limousine in Piccadilly, London, forcing it to stop. The vehicle braked just inches from him. He was arrested but later released as no charges were pressed. Mr Tatchell told Metro the ambush was a test run for potentially carrying out a citizens arrest of Mr Blair. Their security was just too tight, he said .He also had planned arrest of former US president George W Bush and ex-Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. include tackling economic negligence by banks and establishing a UN human rights index. Mr Tatchell said. My passion is just as great as it was when I began. Im still driven by the desire for a world without tyranny and injustice.