Posted on 09/28/2002 12:42:18 PM PDT by adam stevens
50,000 in London Protest Iraq Action Sat Sep 28, 2:38 PM ET By AUDREY WOODS, Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) - More than 50,000 Britons from all regions, ages and social backgrounds, marched in central London Saturday, urging Prime Minister Tony Blair ( news - web sites) and President Bush ( news - web sites) not to invade Iraq.
AP Photo
As they wound their way from Embankment on the River Thames to Hyde Park, many of the demonstrators stopped to shout through the gates of Blair's 10 Downing St. residence.
"Tony Blair, shame, shame, no more killing in my name," went one chant.
"We believe it would be wholly immoral and wrong and criminal for the United States and Britain to attack Iraq and inflict casualties upon innocent people," Tony Benn, a former Labor Party legislator and veteran left-winger, told the crowd. "We must see it is not allowed to happen."
Tam Dalyell, who holds the title father of the House of Commons, said the Iraq dilemma was the most dangerous standoff since the Cuban missile crisis.
"We are sleepwalking to disaster," he said.
Streams of people poured out of subway stations near the march's starting point and demonstrators at the back of the march were still setting off after those at the front had reached Hyde Park, more than a mile away.
Scotland Yard said it was still working on a crowd estimate but that there were more than 50,000 demonstrators.
Andrew Burgin, of the Stop the War Coalition, which helped organize the march, said there were 250,000 people and added that the crowd was still growing.
"Iraq is not our enemy, stop Bush," said a homemade banner carried by Irial Eno, 12, who attended the rally with her sister, mother and grandmother. She said it was not right to kill innocent Iraqis in order to topple their leader.
Irial's mother, Anthea Eno, said she would support an attack on Iraq if it had United Nations ( news - web sites) backing, but added that she did not expect that to happen.
The march came as Britain and the United States worked together on a draft resolution on Iraq which they plan to propose to the United Nations.
Blair has been Bush's staunchest ally on Iraq and last week released a dossier claiming Saddam Hussein ( news - web sites) has stockpiled chemical and biological weapons, and is trying to develop nuclear arms.
Legislators from the prime minister's own Labor Party are among the leaders of the Stop the War Coalition, which organized the march with the Muslim Association of Britain.
The march was also meant as a protest of Israel's policies in the West Bank and Gaza, and many protesters expressed sympathy for the Palestinian cause. "Stop Israeli war crimes," said one sign.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the wrong motivations were driving the confrontation with Iraq.
"It's not about defense of British people or British interests, it's so that corrupt American politicians can get their hands on Iraqi oil," he told reporters.
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Many have tried. All have failed.
Oops, nearly forgot. A Conservative sprinkling of Special Branch taking names and photos. ;)
Translation:
We prefer the Iraqi dictator to inflict millions of casualties against his own people and his neighboring countries.
Arabs are worthless trash anyway.
They don't deserve to live free.
I'd rather not. He is the son of aristocrats, lives in posh Holland Park, and yet denounces capitalism wherever he goes. Traitor, in other words.
Regards, Ivan
The CND was heavily involved in this. As were Muslim groups.
Regards, Ivan
2. The former minister in Harold Wilson's government, who left the House of Commons at the general election last year "to spend more time on politics", will open the "Left Field" stage at the festival.
3. Mr Benn - originally named Anthony Wedgewood-Benn - was born a fully-fledged aristocrat, the son of Viscount Stansgate. He entered parliament in 1950 at the age of 25, following an Oxford education. An RAF pilot during the war, in which he lost a brother, he joined the Labour party at the age of 18 and first became MP for Bristol South East then following defeat there in 1983, fought and won the Chesterfield byelection.
4. Described as an "Old Testament prophet" who "immatures with age" by then prime minister, Harold Wilson, he became minister of technology under the "white heat" Wilson government and opened the futuristic Post Office tower in London.
5. Out of parliament during the leadership election many believe he could have won in 1983, Mr Benn's unconditional support for the miner's strike, and most particularly its leader, Arthur Scargill, lead to him being demonized in the rightwing press.
6. A teetotaller who drinks a pint of tea every hour, and a vegetarian since 1980, Mr Benn has made a lifelong habit of recording every talk and interview he gives on cassette, dictaphone or minidisc, for fear of being misquoted by the media.
7. Despite his teetotal habits, Mr Benn is not entirely vice-free - he is rarely seen without his trademark pipe, and was, indeed, voted pipe smoker of the year in 1992.
8. Mr Benn is also one of Britain's most assiduous diarists, recording everything in his notebooks each night since 1940, with seven volumes now published. He is also the author of several books and tracts, including a powerful polemic against nuclear energy.
9. Since leaving parliament, he has mostly devoted himself to public speaking - winning many favourable reviews for his tour - and the Stop the War effort.
10. His son, Hilary Benn, became MP for Leeds Central in a 1999 byelection, and was recently promoted in Tony Blair's post-Byers reshuffle to minister for prisons and probation in the Home Office.
Benn as actually a minister at one point. A question was asked of a civil servant who worked for him about what Benn meant on an issue. The civil servant said, "The Minister is, frankly, barking mad."
Regards, Ivan
It's not surprising. It's just disgusting.
At least Scargill was the son of a miner, i believe.
Correct. But Scargill is a professional whinger now. ;)
Regards, Ivan
I've been thinking the same thing lately, with these kinds of "protests" going on all over the place! We may be in for a real struggle internally over the War on Terrorism here in the U.S., as well as throughout Europe. Let the Culture Wars begin!
Adu-zar Aziz, Postgraduate student, 24, from Glasgow sez: "Every Muslim feels for another Muslim suffering elsewhere in the world. We can't physically go to help the Iraqis, but UK Muslims can raise our voices. The Iraq issue is the tip of the iceberg, Muslims are being persecuted around the world. There is an agenda against us. I am also marching to show solidarity for the Palestinians. Many Muslims feel if that issue was solved, the problems in other Muslim countries would be solved too. I hope the US and UK will start to hear [Muslim] voices. The media doesn't give us the attention we deserve. We have staged many large rallies with no coverage, while last week's countryside march was shown everywhere - on the BBC, Sky, everywhere. The Muslim community is criticised for not coming together, but we've organised for this march. It will bring together Muslims from all backgrounds and origins. We've felt ignored and hopeless in the past, but now we'll show we are united. I hope the governments of the US and UK will start to hear our voices."
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