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Tom Blumenau |
Amnesty joint founder dies
Rights campaigner Tom Blumenau
A HUMAN rights campaigner from St John’s Wood who fought to improve the lives of refugees in poverty-stricken countries around the world has died aged 81.
Tom Blumenau spent his early career as a businessman, working his way to the top of his father’s ladies’ garment factory before first going into the world of politics, and then on to help set up one of the most recognised human rights organisation the world – Amnesty International.
Born in Germany, Mr Blumenau was just nine when he arrived in England with his parents and brother as refugees in 1937.
After selling the family business, which manufactured women’s corsets and bras from a factory in Angel in 1979, he became a magistrate. Not content with trying to change things from the inside, he helped found the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and was an active member of his local branch of the Liberal Democrats. Described as a liberal with a small ‘L’, Mr Blumenau’s political fervour came as a surprise to his family, who were rooted in a business mentality – having successfully moved their factory machinery from Germany a week before the Nazis began to dismantle Jewish-owned businesses. In middle age, national concerns evolved into world matters, and it was this feeling of moral obligation to those born into political strife in less forgiving societies that spurred Mr Blumenau on to his most rewarding work.
He was one of the founding members of Amnesty International along with his wife Eva, and later became chairman of the St John’s Wood branch of Amnesty.
He then went on to become director of the Prisoner of Conscience Fund – the relief arm of Amnesty, which gives grants directly to individuals who have been persecuted for their beliefs without having to pay tax. Under his tenure the fund increased its income enormously and its capacity to help hardship cases, particularly during the wars in Bosnia.
His work was recognised in 2002 when he was awarded an OBE for services in the field of human rights. Outside of his work, Mr Blumenau’s love was music and theatre. He was a member of the London Philharmonic Choir, making him a regular at Glyndebourne as well as letting him travel around Europe.
He is survived by Eva, their children Anthony, Colin and Anne and by six grandchildren.
Mr Blumenau lived in St John’s Wood for more than 50 years. |
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