THOUSANDS of people marched through central London on Saturday to protest against the US and British bombing of Afghanistan. Police said about five thousand demonstrators, chanting ”No war, we want peace,” made their way from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square. ”We are sending a very clear message to (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair and (US President George) Bush to say that we think they should stop the bombing now,” said Kate Hudson, the vice-chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). ”They should take this opportunity to allow starving Afghan people to be fed. This is a marvellous opportunity to end this terrible conflict and bring the perpetrators of the terrible crimes to justice through the auspices of the United Nations.” Police were posted outside the buildings of major US companies including American Airlines and McDonald’s but there were no incidents. – Sapa-AFP
Saturday October 13, 2001