WORLD NEWS
January 21, 2003
Rallying Against War in Iraq
From Washington D.C. to Paris, France, anti-war demonstrators peacefully protested war in Iraq over the weekend
 Protestors march against war with Iraq. |
From Washington D.C. to Tokyo, Japan, anti-war protesters marched through the streets this past weekend to speak out against a possible war in Iraq. In the U.S., major anti-war rallies were held in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, California while smaller demonstrations were held in several other states.
 |  Protestors march in an anti-war rally in Washington D.C. |
Rallies were also held in France, Russia, Italy, Germany, Egypt, Lebanon, and other countries. No matter where the protest occurred, the message to President Bush was the same: Find a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis.
Weekend Protests in the Nation's Capital
About 1,000 protesters rallied in bitter cold weather near the White House on Sunday. Demonstrators banged drums and sang "Give Peace a Chance." Even though President Bush was at Camp David in Maryland for the weekend, demonstrators wanted to get as close to the White House as possible to deliver their message.
On Sunday, police arrested 16 protesters who passed police barricades. The day before, a much larger crowd of protesters peacefully marched in the nation's capital and a few arrests were made. Police did not give an estimate of how many people turned out on Saturday but estimates ranged from 30,000 to 70,000. In San Francisco, reports put the number of protesters at about 100,000. (Read TFK Kid Reporter Mia Kabasakalis' report on the San Francisco anti-war rally.)
|  Protestors pack into the Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco for an anti-war rally. |
Rallies Around the World
Around the world, protests were held in cities from Europe to Asia to the Middle East. In Paris, France, about 6,000 marchers chanted "Stop Bush! Stop War!" In Moscow, Russia, demonstrators chanted "U.S., hands off Iraq!" In Hong Kong, about 60 people chanted "Inspections, yes! War, no!"
The demonstrations against war came just a few days after U.N. weapons inspectors found chemical weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The U.N. has rules that prohibit Iraq from building or storing weapons of mass destruction. Inspectors are trying to determine whether the weapons are a violation of U.N. agreements with Iraq.
Anti-war demonstrators say the weapons inspectors must be given enough time to do their jobs. Inspectors are preparing to deliver their first formal report to the U.N. on January 27. President Bush and his administration say Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is not cooperating with the inspectors. They also believe Hussein is not telling the truth about his country’s weapons.
Military Buildup Continues
Meanwhile, more than 60,000 members of the U.S. military are already in the Persian Gulf region near Iraq. About 120,000 more will be arriving in the next few weeks. On Monday, the government of Great Britain announced 35,000 troops were being sent to the Gulf region to prepare for a possible war.
