The picture shows that anti-war protesters march down Broadway in New York March 22, 2003. An estimated 200,000 protesters gathered to march against the war in Iraq.

Spain

Spain, one of the staunchest US allies on disarming Iraq by force, was facing a sweeping wave of anti-war sentiment at home, with thousands of Spaniards taking to the streets Saturday in the main cities of the country in protest against the US-led war.

The demonstrations, sponsored by social organizations and pacifist groups, proceeded in a peaceful way and in most places ended with mass rallies in the center of the cities and some autonomous communities.

In Seville, some 150,000 people, according to organizers, or 15,000, according to the local police, marched from Plaza Nueva square to Spain Square, together with leaders of opposition political parties and trade unions.

The protest, called by the Social Forum, included a minute of silence and the blocking of the regional office of the Popular Party (PP), where some demonstrators hurled bags of excrement, oranges and tomatoes.

In Barcelona, thousands of individuals were summoned by the group "Auterem la guerra" to demonstrate against the armed conflict in Iraq.

In Madrid, groups of actors took to the streets without incidents following a clash reported on Friday night between groups of demonstrators and law-enforcement personnel guarding the facilities of the US Embassy in the capital.

Thousands of demonstrators protested in Bilbao in response to a call by trade union leaders and social organizations, marching from the seat of the Basque government in the city and the building of the local parliament, and ended the event by releasing hundreds of pigeons.

In Malaga, several thousand people marched on downtown streets accompanied by representatives of the Andalucia government, the Socialist Workers Party, United Left Party, the General Union of Workers and the Movement Against Intolerance. The Hispano-Iraqi Friendship Association President Abood Abdulla also participated in the protest.

Santander also staged an act called by the Forum Against War and attracted some 10,000 people, while in Girona, there was a demonstration of 18,000 individuals.

Demonstrations were also held in other Spanish cities such as Palencia, Huelva, Talavera de la Reina (Toledo) and Motril (Granada).

Britain

Tens of thousands of demonstrators are taking to the streets of London and other cities in Britain on Saturday to protest against war with Iraq, the biggest rallies since the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Organized by the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain, the demonstrators started from two assembly points at Embankment and Gower Street in the British capital, merging at Piccadilly Circus before heading into Hyde Park for the rally.

Shouting anti-war slogans and beating drums, the demonstrators carried streamers and banners bearing such slogans as "Stop war on Iraq", "Stop, look, listen. No war in our name. No-one seems to be listening."

A total of 3,500 policemen have been called in to line the route of the London march, which by mid-afternoon organizers said had topped the 100,000 mark.

Further demonstrations are being held in cities across the country and at US military bases.

Thousands of anti-war protesters marched from Fairford Town in Gloucestershire in west England to the local RAF base, where US B-52 bombers are based with heavy police patrol. The bombers are believed to have played a key role in Friday night's strikes on Iraq.

Meanwhile, up to 1,000 people gathered for a "Foil the Base" demonstration at the US base at Menwith Hill in Yorkshire. Hundreds arrived clad in tin foil, which organizers hope will disrupt communications by blocking satellite signals.

In Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency in north-east England, about 100 protesters gathered outside Trimdon Labor Club in Sedgefield to watch a caricature of Tony Blair jump through a hoop on the orders of a cartoon George W. Bush.

In Scotland, several thousand people took to the streets of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, and Glasgow to voice their opposition to war, with smaller protests reported in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee.

The weekend marches followed days of protests across the country. On Thursday, more than 5,000 people brought part of central London to a standstill following the first strikes on Iraq.

On Feb. 15, over 500,000 Britons staged a demonstration against the then looming war on Iraq, joining millions of people in more than 300 cities across the globe in the biggest anti-war demonstration since the Vietnam war.

Chile

About 5,000 angry Chileans rallied in the capital on Saturday to protest against the ongoing US-led war on Iraq.

The demonstration was called by the Chilean Communist Party, the Humanists Party, TV sectors and writer Pedro Lemebel.

After gathering at the Italy Square, the demonstrators marched to the Central Square of the city.

Fernando Aliaga, leader of the Peace and Justice Service, said the demonstration was aimed to urge the government to express its strong opposition to the unilateral military action of the United States.

Aliaga also called for boycotting US products and services.

The Chilean government has devoted itself to seeking a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis. It even proposed a peaceful plan to disarm Iraq on the eve of the US-led war.

Costa Rica

At least 63 percent of the Costa Rican people opposed the government's decision to join the US-led alliance in the war on Iraq, an opinion poll showed on Saturday.

Most people surveyed did not want the government to support the United States in a war on Iraq, according to the poll, conducted by the daily La Nacion through its web site.

The poll indicated that 63 percent of the 2,136 Costa Ricans surveyed considered as "negative" the decision of President Abel Pacheco's government to include the country in the list of the US allies in the armed action against Iraq.

Another 4 percent considered the decision "very negative" while18 percent of those polled labeled the decision as "excellent." Three percent of the respondents termed the alliance as "good."

Pacheco said in a statement that Costa Rica has been integrated with the US-led alliance in the war against Iraq.

However, Costa Rican Ombudsman Jose Echandi said Pacheco's position is "personal," for he did not consult other government officials and social sectors before taking the decision.

Analysts Jaime Ordonez and Luis Solis warned that Costa Rica could become the target of terrorist attacks "because of this political mistake."

In Latin America, besides Costa Rica, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Colombia also support the US-led war in Iraq.

Portugal

About 300,000 people marched through streets in the Portuguese capital Lisbon on Saturday to protest the US-led military attacks on Iraq.

The demonstrators marched peacefully from Marques Pombal Squareto Rosio Square in downtown Lisbon, chanting "Yes to peace, no to war" and "Stop the military intervention of Iraq."

City authorities said the march proceeded without major incidents.

The march was called by leaders of some Portuguese organizations and major opposition parties.

Anti-war protests also erupted in other Portuguese cities such as Porto, Faro, Evora and Coimbra on Saturday.

France

France on Saturday staged a nationwide protest against the ongoing Iraqi war, calling for immediate halt of the war from the United States and return of peace to the Iraqi people.

In the capital, called by more than 100 political parties and communities, about 100,000 people marched through the downtown,, shouting slogans "Halt to war, maintaining peace in the Middle East".

Old Marie Carmen told the reporters "The (Iraqi) war is formidable and against humanity. Terrified by the ongoing bombings on Iraq showed in TV screens, I cannot go to sleep."

Some Americans living in Paris also voiced their strong opposition to the US-led war against Iraq. Leading the demonstration, they held up slogans against the war.

Also on Saturday, large-scale anti-war demonstrations were held in other major cities of Marseilles, Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Rouans.

(China.org.cn March 23, 2003)