Bard
09-24-2005, 11:16 AM
Thousands march through London in Iraq war protest
Sep 24, 12:54 PM (ET)
By Jeremy Lovell
LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday demanding that British Prime Minister Tony Blair withdraw British troops from Iraq.
Three streams of marchers carrying banners, chanting and blowing horns converged on Hyde Park to hear anti-war speeches.
Police said 10,000 people took part in the demonstration -- far fewer than the 100,000 the organizers had hoped to attract -- and that it had passed without incident.
Protesters carried banners with slogans such as "Blair Liar," "Bush world No. 1 terrorist," "No war, no nukes" and "Blair's taking liberties, troops home now."
The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 has never been popular in Britain and Blair's personal rating slumped after charges that his government had exaggerated the case for war.
The march took place on the eve of the annual conference of Blair's ruling Labour Party, which is divided over the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Britain has 8,500 soldiers in Iraq and Blair says they will be withdrawn only when stability has been restored, the Iraqi army is capable of maintaining order and a democratically elected Iraqi government says the time is right.
An insurgency and the rising number of British deaths in southern Iraq -- now standing at 95 -- has eroded public support.
The marches, organized by the Stop The War campaign, took place less than a week after British troops stormed a police station in the southern city of Basra to free two undercover soldiers who had been detained by Iraqi police.
In the United States, the anti-war group United for Peace and Justice organized a march on Washington in protest against the war in Iraq.
The organizers said the march was part of a three-day protest that would include non-violent civil disobedience at the White House and an interfaith religious service.
Sep 24, 12:54 PM (ET)
By Jeremy Lovell
LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday demanding that British Prime Minister Tony Blair withdraw British troops from Iraq.
Three streams of marchers carrying banners, chanting and blowing horns converged on Hyde Park to hear anti-war speeches.
Police said 10,000 people took part in the demonstration -- far fewer than the 100,000 the organizers had hoped to attract -- and that it had passed without incident.
Protesters carried banners with slogans such as "Blair Liar," "Bush world No. 1 terrorist," "No war, no nukes" and "Blair's taking liberties, troops home now."
The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 has never been popular in Britain and Blair's personal rating slumped after charges that his government had exaggerated the case for war.
The march took place on the eve of the annual conference of Blair's ruling Labour Party, which is divided over the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Britain has 8,500 soldiers in Iraq and Blair says they will be withdrawn only when stability has been restored, the Iraqi army is capable of maintaining order and a democratically elected Iraqi government says the time is right.
An insurgency and the rising number of British deaths in southern Iraq -- now standing at 95 -- has eroded public support.
The marches, organized by the Stop The War campaign, took place less than a week after British troops stormed a police station in the southern city of Basra to free two undercover soldiers who had been detained by Iraqi police.
In the United States, the anti-war group United for Peace and Justice organized a march on Washington in protest against the war in Iraq.
The organizers said the march was part of a three-day protest that would include non-violent civil disobedience at the White House and an interfaith religious service.