UK government branded 'a disgrace' in Iraq
The UK Government was branded a “disgrace” today for continuing to be involved in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan on the fifth anniversary of the huge anti-war demonstration.
The oldest and youngest people on the original march five years ago in London joined a delegation today handing in a letter to 10 Downing Street calling for British troops to be withdrawn.
Leaders of CND, the Stop The War Coalition, MPs and peace activists including Bianca Jagger, walked up Downing Street today to hand in the letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Among the delegation was Alicia Marr, 36, who was 33 weeks pregnant with her son Alfie when she took part in the march.
Holding Alfie’s hand today she said: “I felt it was very important to join the march because of my sense of frustration that we were being led in to an illegal war with huge implications for generations to come.
“I feel even more frustrated today because Iraq is a terrible mess which is ruining the lives of Iraqi children.”
Hetty Bower, 102, from north London, said she remembers vividly the huge anti-war demonstration which attracted between one and two million protestors.
“I have walked on every march against us going to war because I am against war but this is a particularly horrible war. We have no business to be in Iraq. This was the biggest demonstration of my long life and I am proud I took part.”
Kate Hudson, chairwoman of CND said: “Tony Blair became exceptionally unpopular because of his lies over Iraq. We had great hope that Gordon Brown would pull the troops out and recognise the huge majority of public sentiment against the occupation.
“But five years on we are still waiting for a British Prime Minister to act.”
The group handed in a letter which said it was a “disgrace” that the Government continued to participate in the conflict in Iraq.
Referring to the march five years ago, the letter read: “We said then that the war would be a disaster. Everything we said has been proved to be true. The destruction of Iraq continues, its people are still suffering bombings and atrocities, as many as one million have died as a result of the occupation and millions have been driven from their homes.”
Lindsey German, convenor of the Stop The War Coalition, said: “Everything the demonstrators feared would happen as a result of an attack on Iraq has proved to be true.”
The group is helping to organise another national demonstration in London on March 15 to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the bombings in Iraq.
