Peace activist's voice is heard in the West End

Rachel Corrie's proud parents have heard their dead daughter's words brought to life in a London West End theatre - something they couldn't experience in New York.

The award-winning play My Name is Rachel Corrie, directed by the actor Alan Rickman, was supposed to be running off-Broadway but the production was scrapped. It was feared the US Jewish lobby would be upset by what it sees as the play's pro-Palestinian stance.

The play tells the story of Corrie, 23, a peace activist killed three years ago by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza as she tried to protect Palestinian homes. Her emails and journals leading up to her death were moulded into an acclaimed one-woman play by Rickman and writer Katharine Viner at London's Royal Court Theatre last year.

But this year's US run, due to start in March, was pulled with just days to go. The artistic director of New York Theatre Workshop, James Nicola, after consulting Jewish leaders, said he didn't want to be seen to be taking sides at an "edgy" time. Rickman hit back, condemning the move as censorship.

The play was hastily re-staged in London, where Rachel's parents condemned the New York cancellation as a breach of "faith and respect" for their daughter. They said they were shocked and disappointed that her brave, enlightening words were being withheld from US theatregoers.

"I had two very strong reactions - the first was 'Why are people so afraid of Rachel's words?' and the other was that this thing is bigger than Rachel," said Cindy Corrie, 58. "What happened to the play is symptomatic of the situation in the US ... that truthful discussion about this topic is often thwarted."

Corrie became involved with peace groups in her home town of Olympia in Washington state after the 9/11 attacks and joined the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). She went to Gaza in early 2003 and was killed in March. Witnesses from the ISM claimed her death was deliberate, which is disputed by the Israeli Defence Forces who say she was killed by falling debris.

- INDEPENDENT