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| 2004-03-21 | ||||||
ROME (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of people marched in Rome on Saturday demanding that Italy pull its 2,600 troops out of Iraq, one of many protests around the world on the anniversary of the war's opening salvos. Rome's rally was by far the largest, drawing at least 250,000 people, according to police estimates. Organizers claimed as many as 2 million people - many of them draped in rainbow peace flags - joined the festive procession through Rome's center that emptied into the historic Circus Maximus park.
While Saturday's protests were smaller than those on the eve of the war a year ago, they were no less heartfelt. In Budapest, demonstrators formed a human peace sign and called for the Hungarian government to withdraw its 300 troops from Iraq. In Belgium, about 1,000 people braved rain and blustery wind to carry coffins labeled with oil company logos through central Brussels.
Demonstrators in Italy, Ukraine and Poland also demanded their governments withdraw troops. "The occupation of Iraq is stupid - it's meddling in another nation's affairs," said Polish demonstrator Edyta Raczka, 17, one of about 700 people who marched through Warsaw's old town to the presidential palace and the U.S. Embassy.
Europeans also took to the streets - in France, Germany, and capitals across the continent. Tens of thousands marched through central London, some of them waving placards that called President Bush the "World's No. 1 Terrorist." London's Metropolitan Police estimated that some 25,000 people participated. On Saturday morning, two anti-war demonstrators in climbing gear scaled the Big Ben clocktower at the Houses of Parliament and held up a small banner reading, "Time for Truth," before coming down several hours later. Police said they would review security at Parliament following the incident. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was the United States' staunchest ally in the war. But many Britons opposed the invasion and questions about the conflict's legality have dogged the government as coalition forces have failed to find Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction. Some Americans joined about 2,500 protesters in Paris, where demonstrators blared a rendition of the John Lennon song "Give Peace a Chance" through loudspeakers.
But on the whole, the numbers were far lower than during protests on the eve of the war. During a Feb. 15, 2003, protest, millions of people thronged through capitals around the globe. Rome also had the highest tally that day, with police estimating 1 million people and organizers three times that many.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 These antiwar types make me sick. I think JFM has hit the nail very squarely on the head. In fact, they make me very angry and I make it a point to mention the mass graves, rape rooms and plastic shredders whenever I get into a 'conversation' with these people. |
| Posted by: Tony (UK) 2004-3-21 10:45:24 AM |
| #3 The Iraqi's Where were these protesters people when Saddam was gassing the Kurds? Oh thats right... it did not effect them. I hope people dont feel that way when they [the protesters] are being beaten or robbed or whatever.... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-3-21 10:18:41 AM |
| #2 I was thinking pretty much the same thing,JFM. How come these"petit-bourgeois"(excelent choice of words)refuse to ask the Iraqis what they think of the war. Could it possably be that the Iraqis would tell them FOAD. |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-3-21 7:11:16 AM |
| #1 I will tell things bluntly: there is one place in the world where people have the right to demonstrate against the war: Irak. It is to the people of Irak to say if getting rid of Saddam was worth the sufferings and deaths of the war. I cannot but despise the well-fed first world wankers who demonstrate for having other people see their child starve or get ill while Saddam was pocketing the oil for food money. I cannot but despise the first world petit-bourgeois who would have had other people continue being killed, tortured, raped and fed to plastic shredders. |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-3-21 2:47:45 AM |