Scots plan Bush protests

A demonstration will take place in George Square, Glasgow

Politicians, trade unionists and anti-war activists from Scotland have been meeting to plan a number of protests over the official visit of US President George W Bush.

Demonstrations and marches are scheduled for all over the country to show resistance to the US-led war on Iraq.

Mr Bush is due to arrive in Britain on Tuesday and activists are planning protests for every day of his three-day visit.

On Wednesday in Edinburgh, protesters will meet at 1800 GMT at Charlotte Square to march on the US Consulate.

In Glasgow the protest will take place in George Square from 1400 GMT onwards.

Then on Thursday Scots are urged to join the national demonstration in London with coaches leaving from George Square in Glasgow on Wednesday at midnight.

Anti-war march

On Friday a mock war crimes tribunal in Princes Street, Edinburgh, at 1400 GMT will put Mr Bush on trial under Scots law.

Leader of the Scottish Socialist Party Tommy Sheridan said he hoped the protest would be similar to the 100,000-strong anti-war march which took place in February in Glasgow.

He said: "We appeal to those citizens to take to the streets again to display their complete disgust that a war criminal will be walking along a blood-soaked red carpet laid by Mr Blair, his partner in war crimes."

ANTI-BUSH PROTESTS March on US Consulate, Wednesday, 1800 GMT, Parliament Square, Edinburgh Demonstration, Wednesday, 1400 GMT, George Square, Glasgow London demonstration, Thursday Mock war crime tribunal, Friday, 1400 GMT, Princes Street, Edinburgh

Mr Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, also appealed to "the millions of others" who remain undecided about the war in Iraq.

He said: "After 199 days since the fall of Iraq there are no weapons of mass destruction. All we have had are weapons of mass deception deployed by Mr Blair and Mr Bush and unfortunately their friends in the media."

Mr Sheridan called on Scots who cannot make it to London on Thursday to demonstrate outside the Scottish Parliament.

He went on: "Inside the chambers of the Scottish Parliament on Thursday Bush and Blair will be condemned as war criminals, at the same time as hundreds of thousands take to the streets of London to similarly condemn them as war criminals."

Aamer Anwar of Stop The War Coalition claimed a wave of protest had been "snowballing" across Britain.

'Get out of Britain'

He said: "On the 20th November we fully intend to bring London to a standstill."

And Mr Anwar called on Scots to join in.

He said: "It is traditional in these demonstrations for Scotland to lead the way and we fully intend to show what Scotland thinks when we join protests in London."

The civil rights lawyer condemned the "arrogance" of Mr Bush in congratulating Britons on their capacity for free speech, adding: "We aim to say to George Bush get out of Iraq and get out of Britain."

Jim Friel of the Graphical Paper and Media Union said the majority of trade unions were opposed to Mr Bush's visit.

George W Bush is due to visit Buckingham Palace

He said the Prime Minister has put Britain in danger by joining the war in Iraq.

Osama Saeed, of the Muslim Association of Britain, condemned the rumoured huge amounts of security surrounding Mr Bush's visit.

He said: "It sounds like they are occupying London like they are occupying Iraq."

Mr Saeed said Mr Bush was coming to Britain for "a victory parade", but it would turn into a "nightmare" with the British "resisting Bush just like the Iraqis".

Green Party MSP Patrick Harvie called on people to protest, whether through talking to friends and family or taking to the streets.

The MSP for Glasgow said: "Make sure the photo opportunity President Bush receives is not the one he was planning. And make sure what people see on television is the strength of protest against Mr Bush."

Alan McKinnon of the Scottish Coalition for Justice not War, Christine Bird of Globalised Resistance Scotland and Alison Ritchie, president of the Glasgow University Students' Representative Council all urged Scots to protest.

Ms Ritchie said: "We will demonstrate on a massive scale showing we are not blind to the brutality of this war in Iraq."