Thousands attend anti-war protests in London and Glasgow

March 16, 2008 Yesterday, thousands of people attended anti-war protests in London and Glasgow organised by the Stop the War Coalition. The event marks nearly five years since the 2003 invasion of Iraq which begun the Iraq War. The main themes were "Troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan", "Don’t attack Iran", and "End the siege of Gaza".

In London, protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square before marching down Whitehall to Parliament Square, across Westminster Bridge, along Lambeth Palace Road before crossing the River Thames again at Lambeth Bridge, returning to Parliament Square via Millbank.

A spokesman for the Foreign Office labelled the Stop the War Coalition's description of the current situation in Iraq as "simply not accurate", saying, "In Iraq, there is clear evidence we are making steady progress, particularly in terms of security. We have also acknowledged that mistakes were made, and drawn the appropriate lessons".

Estimates as to the number of protesters in London range from 10,000 according to the Police, up to 40,000 according to the organisers.