Gurkha Justice Campaign

From: Joanna Lumley
Sent: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 1:56 AM
Subject: Gurkha Justice Campaign: Let’s make a BIG impact this Thursday

On Thursday, I will be in Parliament Square, Westminster at 11am before handing
in the Gurkha Justice petition.

We’ve had fantastic support from across the country, and the petition we’ll be
handing in will be one of the biggest ever collected in the country – in a
little over six weeks. Thank you so much for the support.

Our team are sorting the petition ready to hand in, but they tell me any
signatures up until Wednesday night will be included. A really big last burst of
signatures would be fantastic – please remind any friends, family and colleagues
to make sure they sign at http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk before 9pm on Wednesday!

I really hope that, on Thursday, the Government will finally bow to the pressure
from our thousands upon thousands of petition signatories from across the
country, to the Home Office Select Committee, and to the High Court, all of whom
have backed justice for Gurkhas.

If there was ever a time to stand with us, then that time is now.

A really big turnout on the day will really add to the pressure of the petition.
It will show how strongly we all feel about righting this wrong. If you can come
along to Parliament Square in Westminster by around 10.30am on Thursday 20th
November, I would simply love to see you there.

We will be joined by a number of the real stars of the campaign themselves – the
ex-Gurkhas who have served our country so loyally. Amongst them will be Honorary
Lieutenant Tul Bahadur Pun VC who served with my father, and who has been such a
huge inspiration to the campaign.

At around 11am I’ve been asked to say a few words in Parliament Square, and I’ll
be joined by other members of the Gurkha Justice Campaign and some special
guests are joining us from Parliament. After that, a small delegation will go to
Cenotaph and lay a wreath, before going on to Downing Street to hand in the
petition.

Finally, we’ll return to Parliament Square to thank ALL those who have come to
show their support. That will take some time – on Thursday there will be people
that have helped the campaign from across the country. I’m honoured they are
coming – the commitment of those from across the country on this campaign has
been incredible, and I’m so grateful for their support.

So, I hope to see you on Thursday, and that you can make one final push to
encourage EVERYONE you know to add their name to the petition at
http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk before 9pm on Wednesday.

Onwards! One last big push for our Gurkha heroes, and I hope to see you on
Thursday.

With warmest good wishes,

Joanna
http://www.gurkhajustice.org.uk