Anti-War Rallies Held Across the World

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By ED JOHNSON, AP

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Editor's Note: Detroit Action Begins at 4:30 p.m. at Woodward and
Jefferson, Downtown. There will be a march starting at 5:30. The evening
cultural peace program is from 6:00-9:00 p.m. People can park at or
around Central United Methodist Church where shuttles will be available
to transport people to Woodward and Jefferson when needed.
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SYDNEY, Australia (March 18) - Anti-war demonstrators held rallies
across the globe Saturday to protest the war in Iraq as campaigners
marked the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion with a demand that
coalition troops pull out.

'End the War Now'

Around 500 protesters marched through central Sydney, chanting "End the
war now and "Troops out of Iraq." Many campaigners waved placards
branding President Bush the "World's No. 1 Terrorist" or expressing
concerns that Iran could be the next country to face invasion.

"Iraq is a quagmire and has been a humanitarian disaster for the
Iraqis," said Jean Parker, a member of the Australian branch of the Stop
the War Coalition, which organized the march. "There is no way forward
without ending the occupation."

Opposition to the war is still evident in Australia, which has some
1,300 troops in and around Iraq. Visiting Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice was heckled by campaigners in Sydney this week, who said she had
"blood on her hands."

But Saturday's protest was small, compared to the mass demonstrations
that swept across the country in the buildup to the invasion _ the
largest Australia had seen since joining U.S. forces in the Vietnam War.

In Tokyo, about 2,000 people rallied in a downtown park, carrying signs
saying "Stop the Occupation" as they listened to a series of anti-war
speeches, said Takeshiko Tsukushi, a member of World Peace Now, which
helped plan the rally. Tokyo police were unable to immediately confirm
the number in attendance.

"The war is illegal under international law," Tsukushi said. "We want
the immediate withdrawal of the Self Defense Forces and from Iraq along
with all foreign troops."

Japanese Prime Minister Junchiro Koizumi is a staunch supporter of the
U.S.-led coalition in Japan and dispatched 600 troops to the southern
city of Samawah in 2004 to purify water and carry out other humanitarian
tasks. The Cabinet approved an extension of that mission in December,
authorizing soldiers to stay in Iraq through the end of the year.

But public opinion polls show the majority of Japanese oppose the
mission, which has been criticized as a violation of the country's
pacifist constitution. Many say the deployment has made Japan a target
for terrorism.

In Turkey, thousands gathered in Istanbul for protests Other anti-war
protests were planned in the cities of Izmir, Trabzon and the capital,
Ankara.

Opposition to the war is nearly universal in Turkey and cuts across all
political stripes.

"Murderer USA," read a sign unfurled by a communist in Taksim Square in
Istanbul.

"USA, go home!" said red and black signs carried by hundreds of the some
5,000 protesters gathered in Kadikoy on the city's Asian coast.

Turkey is Iraq's northern neighbor and the only Muslim-majority member
of the NATO military alliance. Historically close relations with the
U.S. were severely strained after the Turkish parliament refused to
allow U.S. troops to launch operations into Iraq from Turkish territory.

U.S. military planners said the move complicated operations by shutting
down the U.S. option of opening a northern front in the 2003 invasion of
Iraq.

Since the war, support for the United States has plummeted in Turkey.

Demonstrations were also expected across Europe.

"We will continue until we see the last general running for a helicopter
on the roof of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad," read a statement from Stop
the War Alliance, which is organizing a rally outside the U.S. Embassy
in Athens, Greece.

In London, Scotland Yard police headquarters said streets around
Piccadilly Circus in the heart of the shopping and theater district
would be closed as up to 100,000 people planned to march through the
capital. Britain has about 8,000 troops in Iraq.

Demonstrations "Against the Occupation of Iraq" were planned Saturday in
several Spanish cities, including Madrid and Barcelona.