WORLD NEWS
February 17, 2003
Protesting for Peace
Millions of people in cities all over the world protest a possible war against Iraq
Millions of people all over the world filled the streets on Saturday to protest possible U.S. plans to go war against Iraq. From London, England to New York City, the protesters had one message for President George W. Bush: Give peace a chance.
Around
the World Protest
Saturday's protests kicked off in New Zealand and Australia, where tens of thousands of people crowded the streets. Rallies then followed in hundreds of cities and towns in countries including Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Greece, Russia, Australia, South Africa, Turkey, Lebanon, Canada, Mexico, and China.
Record-Breaking
Rallies
All together, the rallies around the world made up the largest peaceful anti-war protests since the days of the Vietnam War in the early 1970s. In Rome, Italy, police estimated 1 million protesters filled the streets, making it the largest demonstration in Italy's history. In London, at least 750,000 people protested in what was the largest rally in the history of the British capital.
"The World Says No to War," read a huge banner waved high among the crowds in New York City. Organizers of the anti-war rally in New York estimated that more than 400,000 braved the freezing cold to protest outside United Nations (U.N.) headquarters. Police said the total number of New York protesters was closer to 100,000. A day later, more than 100,000 people hit the streets of San Francisco, California, to speak out against war.
The Iraq Debate
The United States and Britain say Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is hiding dangerous weapons that are not allowed under U.N. rules. The two countries are strongly considering a war against Iraq to force the country to remove these weapons and oust Hussein from power.
Anti-war demonstrators and governments of other countries including France, Russia, and Germany want U.N. weapons inspectors to have enough time to search for illegal weapons in Iraq. They are urging President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to back down from war. So far, the huge protests have done little to change Bush and Blair’s view.
Iraq staged its own demonstrations on Saturday, with tens of thousands of people in several cities declaring their loyalty to Hussein. U.N. weapons inspectors, meanwhile, continue to search Iraq for illegal weapons.
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