Saturday's march was addressed by leading anti-war
activists |
Thousands
of protesters have gathered for an anti-war rally in London calling for an
end to the US and UK occupation of Iraq.
The march started from Hyde Park at 1200 BST before a rally in
Trafalgar Square starting at 1430 BST, where Tony Benn, filmmaker Ken
Loach and RMT union leader Bob Crow are among the speakers.
The organisers said they wanted to make Labour respond to their anger
over the situation in Iraq, ahead of the party's annual conference.
Police estimated at 1530 BST there were about 20,000 marching, although
organisers estimated up to 100,000 had attended the event.
"The Hutton inquiry has proved, as we said all along, that the war in
Iraq was an utterly fraudulent war and people are very upset about this,"
said a spokesman for the Stop the War coalition.
The Metropolitan police said 2,700 officers had been drafted in to cope
with the rally.
 |
 Iraq should be an independent country - this
was an illegal attack and it is an illegal occupation 
|
Many of the protesters chanted anti-Bush slogans and carried banners
with messages like "Blair must go" and "UK troops out of Iraq".
Others blew whistles and klaxons, making for a carnival atmosphere with
a mobile sound system belting out live political songs and numerous
drummers playing.
Among the more unusual sights on the march was a replica tank made from
cardboard and painted orange, pushed by members of embers of
anti-capitalist group Globalise Resistance.
Saturday's march is the fifth protest this year against Britain's
participation in the US-led invasion of Iraq, organised by the Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain.
A demonstration on 15 February attracted a record-breaking turnout of
about one million protesters, attracting worldwide attention.
The coalition said the protest had been timed send to send a message to
the Labour Party, whose members are gathering for the annual conference
which kicks off on Sunday in Bournemouth.
'Pressure'
"The situation in Iraq is terribly chaotic - we are seeing the deaths
of hundreds of Iraqis each week," spokesman Andrew Burgin told BBC News
Online.
He said protesters would call for an end to the US-UK presence in Iraq
and for Prime Minister Tony Blair to "consider his position".
Frank Sanders, a 55-year-old town planner from Chelmsford, Essex, said:
"I want to see an end to the occupation of Iraq and a return of the allied
troops.
"Iraq should be an independent country. This was an illegal attack and
it is an illegal occupation."
Ahmed Ahmed, a 40-year-old doctor from London, said: "The causes for
war were not true, it wasn't about freedom. I agree that Saddam Hussein
was bad but this was not the way to get rid of him."
Tatiana Wells, 29, from Brazil, added: "I am here to raise awareness in
Brazil where we think the war has finished. We need to spread the word
that the war is still going on".
In an anti-war demonstration in Edinburgh on Saturday, police
estimated about 1,500 people attended a simultaneous march and rally.
There were also protests in Vienna, Berlin, Madrid and Athens, as well
as marches planned in New York and San Francisco.
