World’s protest against Iraq war

All over the world, tens of thousands of protesters have taken part in a day of demonstration, demanding the withdrawal of US and British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. This World Against War action was set to mark the fifth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, on March 20.

For example, in London, police said that 10,000 activists had rallied at Trafalgar Square, before marching the short distance to parliament. The organisers said that between 30,000 and 40,000 had gathered. Outside parliament, demonstrators waved placards saying “Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan”, “Don’t attack Iran” and “Freedom for Palestine”.

A spokesman for The Stop The War coalition said that five years after the invasion of Iraq, the only thing the military action had managed was making the world “a much more dangerous place”.

Paul Collins said that “Estimates suggest as many as one million people have died violent deaths as a result of the occupation of Iraq.” He added that Britain’s prime minister, Gordon Brown, was sending more troops to Afghanistan and claimed “this hidden war is fast becoming a disaster mirroring Iraq”.

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party’s member of the European Parliament, called for the former and current British prime ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, to be prosecuted for war crimes. “They need to know you cannot bomb your way to peace” she said.

But Britain’s foreign office doesn’t agree with Stop the War’s conclusions. “In Iraq, there is clear evidence we are making steady progress, particularly in terms of security” a spokesman said. And added “In Afghanistan, Nato forces are winning the struggle against the Taliban.”

“A war we don’t want to be in”

People protested against the US presence in Iraq elsewhere in Europe. Around 500 people marched through Stockholm city centre, despite the freezing rain, carrying banners saying thinks like “Yankees Go Home” and “Five years of war, one million dead.”

Leif Staalhammer, a 67-year-old actor, came “because I think it is extremely important to demonstrate against American policy in Iraq, especially now that the media is focusing less on the tragedy there.”

In Los Angeles, organisers said that up to 10,000 people marched through the streets of Hollywood. Many of them were carrying banners denouncing George Bush, the US president, and calling for an end to the conflict. According to the police, around 2,000 protesters had turned out for the rally.

The march ended on Sunset Boulevard, where organisers hoped several California politicians and actors would join the  demonstrators. A protester told the crowd : “we’ve been in the war for five years, right now we’re about to be in a recession, and trillions of our dollars are going to a war we don’t want to be in.”

On Saturday, demonstrations also took place accross Canada. In Toronto 1,000 people gathered in order to protest against parliament’s  decision taken last week, to extend Canada’s 2,500-strong deployment to Afghanistan. But Christine Jones, co-chairwoman of the Canadian Peace Alliance, said parliament’s vote on Afghanistan was misguided.