Speaker 1:

The same day that 150 Afghan civilians were reported killed in US carpet bombing, a demonstration in London showed the scale of popular opposition to the war. The organisers estimated that over 50,000 people marched on Sunday to call for peace. [Shahida] Ali came with the organisation Muslims For Justice and Peace.

Shahida Ali:

Tony Blair has said time and again, this is ... He's trying to win the hearts and minds. You don't win the hearts and minds of people by chucking bombs at them. The US is able to take a unilateral decision of this sort of magnitude, and the UN is unable to do anything. What is the UN there for? Something terrible occurred on September the 11th. We need to look at the root causes of why this sort of terrorism is occurring.

Speaker 1:

Kieran [Gendrill] had just arrived in London from the USA.

Kieran Gendrill:

I actually came across it by surprise. I just flew in this morning, and it's something I support very much, and I don't see a lot of it in the United States. Dissent is a cornerstone of our society. It's a cornerstone of our democracy. Unfortunately, America tends to fall short on dialogue, and falls more to quick fix, quick action solutions. If you're not with us, you're against us. The world is reduced to two simple factors, and I don't believe that. It's my first day here in London, and this is how I'm going to spend it.

Children:

What do we want? Stop the war! When do we want it? Now!

Speaker 5:

We came down because ... to stop the war, because we disagree with what they're doing to all the people in Afghanistan.

Speaker 1:

After gathering in Hyde Park, the spirited demonstration set off through London's West End, to a rally in Trafalgar Square. All sections of British society were represented, many voicing their opposition to the military campaign.

Crowd:

Stop the killing, stop the war!

Speaker 7:

People in this demonstration, they're not only from London. They're from all over England. Everyone has a view; they wanna express their view to Blair. They want to tell him to stop the war. They're saying, "Right, a higher power country such as USA cannot just send in their troops to make peace. Peace has to be done within the country. All the politicians agree to something, that's how peace is done." You can just send someone into ... force someone into peace.

Speaker 8:

I'm angry that America and Europe are bombing innocent people in Afghanistan, included many disabled people.

Speaker 9:

I think it's a discredit to us that we always behave violently. People in the world think that the British are bullies, and I don't like that.

Speaker 10:

Some wars are just, against Hitler was just, but this is an unjust type of thing, where a powerful nation can keep on attacking defenceless countries.

Speaker 11:

There's a profound danger of proliferation now. What we've already heard is Dick Chaney saying that he's got 40 or 50 nations on his list, and it really seems that there's a group in Washington who want to start a Third World War. And it's desperately needed that people get out and say "No!"

Speaker 1:

Bianca Jagger, Tariq Ali and Yvonne Ridley, the Express journalist captured by the Taliban in September, were among the campaigners speaking at the rally.

Yvonne Ridley:

One of the villages that I visited was called [Karma]. It was a village not even the size of this square. That village has gone. It no longer exists. For three days, the Americans bombed that village. There was nothing of any military significance in that village. There were no Taliban in that village. Why the hell did they bomb that village?

Crowd:

Yeah!

Tony Benn:

What is happening now in Afghanistan is terrorism.

Crowd:

Yeah!

Tony Benn:

Everybody knows that.

Crowd:

Yeah!

Speaker 1:

Tony Benn is a veteran activist and former government minister. He recently resigned as a Labour MP.

Tony Benn:

We've really got to restore the United Nations to a central role, have an international tribunal, where people who are accused of war crimes can be tried properly, applying to all countries so American citizens would be liable like everybody else.

We today are building a world peace movement.

Crowd:

(cheers)

Tony Benn:

Today was one of the biggest demonstrations I've ever attended, and I've been here for 50 years speaking.

Speaker 15:

[singing]

Speaker 1:

At dusk, the breaking of the Ramadan fast was marked by prayer.

Speaker 15:

[singing]

Speaker 1:

As long as the US-led military campaign continues, this opposition is unlikely to fade.