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Millions of people in about 300 cities all over the world are expected to participate in marches Saturday against a US-led war in Iraq, making the protests the biggest the world has ever seen since the Vietnam War.
The protests come as the United States and Britain, who intend to launch a war to disarm Iraq if necessary, were under strong criticism in the United Nations Security Council.
British police Friday predicted that the demonstration in London alone would attract around 500,000 people while the organizers said the numbers could be higher and even reach 1 million, making it Britain's largest-ever protest.
The 3.5-mile (5.6-km) march in London will start at noon and culminate in a rally at Hyde Park where London Mayor Ken Livingstone, former US presidential candidate the Reverend Jesse Jackson and human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger are expected to make speeches.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people are planning to start simultaneous marches in Northern Ireland's capital city Belfast and Scottish city Glasgow, where British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to give a final speech to wrap up Labor Party conference at that time.
In Rome, organizers also predicted that at least half a million demonstrators will take to the streets for the marches while other major marches are planned for Dublin, San Francisco, Tokyo, Bangkok and a series of European cities.
German anti-war groups said they expected more than 100,000 people to take to the streets around the country while organizers in Paris said they estimated more than 50,000 protesters are to take part.
Australian protesters kicked off the global series of the weekend anti-war marches. Australian Green Senator Bot Brown estimated that more than 200,000 people rallied in Melbourne Friday carrying placards reading, "No blood for oil" and "Don't bomb Iraq."
An estimated 6,000 people marched Friday night in Tokyo and a similar number to the US Embassy in the Philippine capital, Manila.
Anti-war sentiment has even reached the tiny South Pacific island nation of Fiji, where an anti-war group sent floral messages to foreign embassies urging them to put pressure on the United States and its allies to avoid war.
The upcoming protests in Britain are organized by the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain.
"This is a chance for people to show what they really think about this war," said spokesman Andrew Burgin of the Stop the War Coalition, which hopes the size of the demonstration will send a message to the prime minister.
"They will be saying: 'Tony, don't go to war. You don't have the support of the people who elected you'," said Burgin.
Blair's office said in a statement Friday that the prime minister "respected the views" of those joining the march but suggested the gesture would make little difference to government policy.
"The way to prevent any military conflict is for Saddam Hussein to cooperate and fulfill his obligations as set out by the whole of the international community as embodied by the United Nations," the statement said.
All police leave in the capital has been canceled and 3,500 officers drafted in from the Met, the City of London force and British Transport Police to control the event.
Despite Spanish support for the US stance on the Iraq crisis, thousands of high school and college students launched an anti-war protest Thursday in Barcelona, demanding that authorities channel resources used for the armed forces into education.
Thousands Protest Against Iraq War in New Zealand
Thousands of anti-war protesters gathered in major cities around New Zealand Saturday to protest against a possible United States-led war against Iraq.
In Auckland, the protesters marched up Queen St, setting off from Queen Elizabeth II Square on the waterfront just after midday.
Their presence added to a busy Auckland downtown, as America's Cup yachting fans headed in the opposite direction to seek out their favored spots ahead of the start of race one.
The marchers, chanting slogans such as "One, two, three four, we don't want your bloody war!" and "No blood for oil!" made their way to Myers Park, about 1.5 km away, for a peace rally.
Earlier, a giant protest banner was flown over Auckland for two hours.
The Greenpeace banner, tied behind a fixed-wing aircraft, bore the words "No War, Peace Now."
Its sweeping over the harbor was timed to coincide with the departure of the two America's Cup yachts -- Team New Zealand's NZL82 and Alinghi's SUI64 -- for the Hauraki Gulf race course.
Saturday has been designated the International Day of Action to Stop the War on the People of Iraq, and Greenpeace spokesman Robbie Kelman was quoted as saying that flying the banner was the start of activities throughout New Zealand.
"Millions of people around the world are rallying today to say no to war and New Zealand is the first country to send this message," Kelman said.
"Countries like New Zealand must add their weight to efforts for a peaceful solution to this crisis," he added.
The Auckland march and rally was one of 18 held in major cities such as Wellington, Hamilton, Christchurch, Dunedin, Opotiki, Whakatane, Hastings, Wanganui and Greymouth.
In Wellington, around 3000 people took to the streets in what observers regarded as one of the capital's biggest protest marches in recent times.
Carrying placards with slogans such as "More Trees Less Bush" and "Would Jesus Bomb Iraq?," the large, well-behaved march wound its way from Cuba Mall through city streets towards Midland Park, for an anti-war rally.
A march organizer told Xinhua that he was delighted with the turn-out, which he said sent a clear message New Zealanders were opposed to war in Iraq.
Prime Minister Helen Clark Saturday expressed New Zealand support for the continuation of weapons inspections in Iraq.
Her comments followed a report by Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix Friday to the security council that while many weapons and items were unaccounted for in Iraq, gaps in knowledge caused by a four-year hiatus in inspections were being filled in.
Clark said: "The New Zealand government's position has been that so long as it's fruitful to continue (inspections) it should continue."
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2003)
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