 |
|
Japanese protesters display placards with reading, 'Peace,'
|
In
Rome
, thousands of people staged a mass protest in
Rome
Saturday against the U.S.-led occupation.
The
protestors - numbering 300,000 according to organizers - filed through
the city center, marching under a rainbow-colored flag and a giant
banner reading "Together for peace".
The
rally was called by the left-wing opposition, trade unions,
non-governmental organizations and local government figures, in
protest at the pro-U.S. foreign policy of Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi's center-right government.
Turkish
Note Protest
In
Turkey, where the government gave Washington a reluctant
agreement to use its military bases before the invasion, about 1,000
activists belonging to a wide range of groups marched to the U.S.
embassy in Ankara, under tight security measures.
The
protestors managed to hand over to Embassy employees at the gate a
giant symbolic ticket for Bush for a trip to the space, a spokesman
for the activists said.
"Down
with American imperialism," "
U.S.
, get lost from the
Middle East
," "End the occupation," read some of the banners that
the crowd carried.
In
Istanbul
, another 1,000 activists demonstrated against both the occupation of
neighboring
Iraq
and
Turkey
's hosting of a NATO summit, to be held in their city in June.
Protests
were also seen in other parts of the country as well. No incidents
were reported.
Spanish
Opposition
In
Spain
, thousands of people, with the horrors of last week's
Madrid
train bombings fresh in their minds, joined anti-war marches.
The
attacks killed 202 people and led to the downfall of
Spain
's pro-US government in elections three days later and rocked the
U.S.-led invasion in
Iraq
.
Some
60 Spanish political groups have urged Spaniards to turn out en masse
for Saturday's protest.
The
Iraq
invasion was opposed by the overwhelming majority of Spaniards and the
incoming Socialist government has vowed to pull the country's 1,300
troops out of
Iraq
by June unless the occupation comes under United Nations leadership.
In
France, an early opponent of the
Iraq
invasion along with
Germany
, anti-war rallies were planned in several cities, including
Paris
, Marseille,
Lyon
and
Toulouse
.
In
the
United States
, protest organizers said they hoped their ranks might be swelled in
the aftermath of the
Madrid
train bombings.
'No
More Lies'
 |
|
Anti-riot police surround several thousand Egyptians protesting at Tahrir square
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Between
2,000 and 3,000 people gathered in
Cairo
's central
Tahreer Square
, carrying banners mocking the failure of the
U.S.
military to find weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
"No
WMD, but 20,000 Iraqi civilians killed .. this is Bush's
democracy," read a banner in English, as seething protestors paid
tribute to resistance attacks against occupation forces in
Iraq
.
"Get
Out of
Iraq
Now. No more lies, Bush. No WMD
found," the slogans chanted amid tight security measures.
The
demonstrators denounced the Arab regimes' impotence to prevent the
war, carrying a coffin draped in black cloth marked "Here lie the
Arab governments".
At
least 5,000 policemen were deployed for, which allowed only one access
to the square, which lies not far from the
U.S.
and the British Embassies.
But
the number of protestors is far cry from that of last year, where some
15,000 Egyptians gathered
in the square the same day to protest the U.S.-led invasion.
Outraged
Filipinos
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Filipinos demanded the pullout of the country from what they called "Coalition of the Lying"
|
In
the
Philippines
, hundreds of Filipinos took the streets,
demanding the pullout of the country from what they called
"Coalition of the Lying".
As
early as Friday, March 19, the anti-war activists held a picket-rally
urging the government to withdraw forces from
Iraq
.
Friday’s
protest was staged by members of Bayan Muna (Nation First) political
party at the
Quezon City Memorial Circle
in
Manila
on the eve of the 1st anniversary of the
U.S.-led invasion of
Iraq
.
The
group was led by Bayan Muna leader
Teddy
Casino
, who called for Filipinos to express
solidarity with other peace-loving peoples of other nations in
demanding the immediate pullout of all foreign troops from
Iraq
—including the Philippine military
contingent.
"The
people all over the world are now furious on how U.S. President Bush
used a massive lie to justify
U.S.
invasion of
Iraq
,” Casino told IslamOnline.net.
"As
everyone can now plainly see, Bush’s claim that
Iraq
keeps an arsenal of various weapons of
mass destruction has been proven false," he added.
Pakistani
Resentment
In
Pakistan
, activists staged rallies in several cities on the first anniversary
of the invasion of
Iraq
, demanding the immediate withdrawal of
U.S.
and foreign troops from
Iraq
.
"We
are expressing our anger and resentment by organizing rallies,
demonstrations and walks in 20 cities of Pakistan to join the global
struggle against aggressors," said Mansoor Karim Siyal, chairman
of the Anti-War Committee.
About
2,000 protestors gathered in the eastern city of
Lahore
, chanting: "Americans get out of
Iraq
and
Afghanistan
".
"
America
gets lost from
Iraq
", "Vacate
Iraq
" and "Foreign troops leave
Iraq
", they shouted.
Indians
Attack U.S. Bank
In
India
, activists attacked the branch of a U.S. bank to protest the American
occupation of
Iraq
as hundreds rallied in parts of
South Asia
on the first anniversary of the invasion.
About
10 people barged into Citibank in
Cochin
in the southern Indian state of Kerala, damaging computers and windows
with iron rods wrapped in newspaper, a police spokesman said.
"They
also raised slogans like "Down with
U.S.
imperialism!" before running away," he said.
In
Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir, about 700 people marched
through the violence-torn summer capital
Srinagar
chanting "Americans, quit
Iraq
".
In
Dhaka
, about 100 activists staged rallies in which they shouted out slogans
against the "repression" of
Iraq
and demanded the Bangladeshi government not hold talks with U.S.
Ambassador Harry Thomas.
Russians,
As Well
In
Russia
, more than 5,000 people are expected in the streets
of 11 cities to protest the invasion.
Protests
are expected to gather outside the
U.S.
embassy in
Moscow
with chants expected against the offensive, which
Russia
had declined to join in.
Security
measures were tightened around the compound.
