The World Says No to U.S. War Against Iraq

On February 15, around 15 million people in over 600 cities, towns and villages throughout the world took part in a global day of action to protest the planned aggression by the United States against the people of Iraq. This represents the largest international anti-war mobilization in history.

The protests started in New Zealand, where thousands of people rallied throughout the country. A plane trailed a banner over the Aukland harbour, venue of this year's America's Cup, reading "No War - Peace Now". In Melbourne, Australia, 200,000 protesters took to the streets in the city's largest demonstration since the Viet Nam war, while thousands more marched in Canberra and Sydney, protesting the Howard government's commitment of 2,000 troops to the Persian Gulf to support the American aggression.

The largest demonstration in the world was held in Rome, where organizers estimate three million people gathered, waving the rainbow flags which have become the symbol of the Italian peace movement. The second largest demonstration was held in London, where over one and a half million people filled Hyde Park. Besides denouncing U.S. imperialist aims, the demonstrators also demanded British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's chief ally, withdraw his support for the American war plans. The London demonstration included dozens of backbench MPs from Blair's Labour Party, and was addressed by the Labour Mayor of London, who pointed out to a cheering crowd that it was the largest demonstration in British history. The crowd was so massive that it took over four hours for people to make their way into the park.

While Tony Blair tried to justify his support for the war at a meeting of the Scottish Labour Party, 25,000 marchers jeered him from the streets of Glasgow. In Dublin, 100,000 people demonstrated against the war.

The scenes of massive protest were echoed throughout Europe. In Spain, 1.5 million marched in Barcelona, with another 600,000 in Madrid and 200,000 in Seville. Half a million people demonstrated in Berlin, including members of the governing Social Democratic Party. Hundreds of thousands more marched in Paris. In Athens demonstrators hung a giant banner across the Acropolis reading "NATO, U.S., E.U. = WAR". Rallies of tens of thousands were also held in Copenhagen, Lisbon, Prague, Oslo, Vienna, Brussels, and Stockholm, with smaller rallies in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria and Russia.

A joint Muslim-Croatian rally, under the banner "United for Peace" was held in the small Bosnian city of Mostar, while in Cyprus, several hundred Greeks and Turks also held a unity march against the war. In Tel Aviv, more than 3,000 Israeli Arabs and Jews marched through the streets, carrying Israeli and Palestinian flags and placards reading "Israelis Oppose Bush's War".

Massive demonstrations took place throughout the Arab world, with the two largest in Damascus and Baghdad.   Former Syrian cabinet minister Najjah Attar addressed the crowd in Damascus, pointing out that far from being motivated by concern for human rights, the U.S. wanted to impose its dictate on the peoples of the region. "They remind us of the Nazi and fascist times," she said. 

In Asia, rallies were held in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Kashmir, Bangladesh, Delhi, Malyasia, the Philippines, South Korea and Kazakhstan. At a rally outside the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, a speaker told a cheering crowd of thousands that it was up to the world's people to stop the war "as it is part of the United States' plot for global domination." The group Malaysians for Peace has gathered over one million signatures against the war and are planning to protest on February 22 to coincide with the Non Aligned Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

The largest protests in Africa were held in the South African cities of Capetown and Johannesburg, where tens of thousands called for an end to U.S. brinkmanship.

Demonstrations were also held throughout the United States itself, with the largest ones in New York, Los Angeles, San Fransico, Washington and Philadelphia drawing hundreds of thousands of Americans. Smaller rallies were held in virtually every state, bringing the total number of Americans who demonstrated against their government's plan to attack Iraq to close to two million.

Hundreds of thousands also protested in Latin America, with the three largest demonstrations in Santiago de Chile, Mexico City and Sao Paulo. Brazilian President 'Lula' da Silva gave a call for Latin American unity against the war.