Protesters repeat concerns at war

Protesters repeat concerns at war

Between 10,000 and 15,000 people joined local London rallies

Thousands of anti-war campaigners across the UK on Saturday renewed their protests at the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The largest single protest was in Edinburgh, where organisers claimed over 10,000 people marched behind a banner demanding "Stop the Invasion". Police put turnout at 6,000.

Protests were also held in Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Oxford and London, among others.

Meanwhile in Exeter, a few hundred people held an anti-war protest alongside a roughly equal number holding a "Patriot Rally" in support of soldiers in the Gulf.

In Edinburgh, placards brightly lit by spring sunshine, suggested the demonstration had attracted trades unions, political parties, community groups and students organisations.

'Still concerned'

Walter Davis, 67, from Aberdeen said: "I'm here because I'm totally against this war - as my poster says, it's Blair's immoral war.

"I'm an old-age pensioner and I've always been against the war and this brings to the attention of the government that people are still concerned."

UK PROTESTS

Troops supporters hold rally

Thousands join Edinburgh march

Peaceful Oxford demo held

Protesters target BBC

Shah Baten, 30, a Bangladeshi student living in Edinburgh, said: "Bush says you are either with us or against us. I don't believe that. This can be solved diplomatically."

Initial estimates suggested several hundred people turned out for protests in Oxford, Cardiff, Liverpool and Birmingham and more than 1,000 in Sheffield.

The Stop the War Coalition said 15,000 people turned out for localised rallies across the capital alone. The police said 10,000 had turned out for a total of 23 separate events.

In Exeter, police said 200 people turned out for the "Patriot Rally".

Ex-serviceman Ken Hill, who organised the rally, said he was pleased with the turn-out - which he put at 500 - mainly made up service families wanting to show their support.

He said: "Families of servicemen are being told by peace protesters that they have blood on their hands.

"But our guys are over there, preserving our democracy and our freedom. Let's give them and their wives over here support.

"It's not a pro-war rally," he said. "No-one wants war. We do not want their husbands to get killed. What we are saying is, 'It's about supporting the wives and husbands of soldiers'."

BBC protests

BBC buildings in Manchester and London were the focus of protests of several hundred each.

Demonstrators said they were angry at perceived bias in BBC reports and said there was inadequate coverage of deaths among Iraqi civilians.

Chris Oneham, spokesman for the Stop the War coalition, said: "People feel that since war has broken out the BBC has instinctively adopted the language and stances of the US forces.

"We object to the use of words like 'we', 'our troops', particularly by so-called 'embedded' reporters.

"Now that the killing has started, the BBC completely seems to have forgotten the debate about the rights and wrongs of war in the first place."