Posted on 08/12/2008 2:36:18 PM PDT by Fundamentally Fair
LONDON, England (CMM) -- Millions took to the streets of Europe to protest against a war in Georgia in huge demonstrations later repeated in Russia.
In London on Saturday, police said the turnout was 750,000, the largest demonstration ever in the British capital. The organizers put the figure at 2 million. Half a million protested in Germany, and 300,000 in 60 towns and cities across France. The world wide protests were planned by United for Piece and Just Us.
CMM's Alex Pinci said that the turnout in Rome, Italy -- where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has publicly backed the stance of Vladimir Putin -- was also said by the organizers to be 1 million. It was certainly in the high hundreds of thousands, he said, with many marchers trapped in traffic on the city outskirts.
The scenes were repeated in Russia, with crowds of anti-war demonstrators jamming into downtown Moscow and other cities.
Nearly all the marches were peaceful, though in Athens, Greece, riot police fired tear gas at demonstrators who threw stones and gasoline bombs when dozens of hooded protesters splintered from a main body of up to 50,000 demonstrators. A parked car was burned, but police said there were no arrests or reports of injuries.
The biggest demonstrations seen in Europe for years were part of marches by millions across the globe, from the Antarctic to Iceland.
"This war is solely about territory. Vladimir Putin has never given a damn about human rights," London Mayor Ken Livingstone said.
"Give peace a chance, give peace a chance," Peace activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson chanted to the cheering throng.
American actor Tim Robbins, reflecting on the global reach of the protests, said, "The peace movement is acting as one."
According to The Associated Press, about 2 million people turned out in Spain to rail against war, including nearly 1.3 million in Barcelona, making it the city's biggest protest ever. About 600,000 in Madrid brought the city center to a standstill.
The protesters received a boost Monday when the U.N issued a plan to draft a stern warning to the Russians.
The rallies offered a boost to Georgia's own cause. Georgia’s Deputy Prime Minister Fallafa Sofa, in the Italian city of Assisi to pray at the tomb of St. Francis, said: "This is a day all good women and men in the world will show the protest against the war of Vladimir Putin," he told Reuters. "Our hearts are with them."
In a message to those taking part in the demonstrations, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said: "I rejoice that we live in a country where peaceful protest is a natural part of our democratic process."
But he added: "As you watch your TV pictures of the march, ponder this: if there are 500,000 on that march, that is still less than the number of people whose deaths Russia has been responsible for over time.
"If there are 1 million, that is still less than the number of people who died in the wars they started."
In Paris, tens of thousands had turned out in the French capital, with hundreds of thousands of others expected in 60 towns and cities. More than 100 French organizations were taking part, and there was "a lot of very intense feeling" against a war, he said.
Peace march organizer Pierre Le’Frog told him: "This is a message to Vladimir Putin. People are here because they do not think this war against Georgia is good for the world.
"It is also a message to the French government: Go to the United Nations Security Council, and if you can, use your veto."
In Berlin, Germany, up to 500,000 protesters had gathered in the city's historic center to demonstrate against a war with Iraq and bolster Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's calls for a peaceful solution.
In Istanbul, Turkey, 5,000 people angrily denounced Russia, demanding that Russia stay out and saying the Persian Gulf War had cost their country millions. On Saturday, Foreign Minister Yasar Yakis was finishing talks in Washington over an aid package tied to support for a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
CMM's Jaime Maricone reported that the mood of the demonstrators in a country where the people are overwhelmingly opposed to war was "angry," with the crowd demanding that Russia leave Georgia.
Meanwhile, in Moscow, Russia, anti-war protesters braved cold weather to march to Russia Embassy against a possible war. The Interfax news agency put the figure at nearly 1,000.
One of their banners implored Russian President Vladimir Putin to "Be Firmer With Russia," while others said "Russia. -- International Terrorist Number One."
Another showed a photograph of the Russian president with the words: "Butcher: Get out of other people's lands."
It’s good to see Peace Protests. I am against peace too.
Why is there a Russian embassy in Moscow?
News you will never see indeed - you had me going there and I was about to yell into my laptop!
Had me going too - I was getting ready to say “I’ll be damned” since I had talked about the sounds of crickets chirping when it came to this sort of thing from the “peace” movement. Guess the world is predictable after all.
Give them a few hours and it will turn in to a “We hate the USA” rally...
A Frenchman named Le Frog? All right, who's the comedian...
Oooh, you ALMOST had me there! Good one! ;^)
“Jaime Maricone”? Does the intrepid journalist have a line of clothes, a hair salon, or a interior design studio? I would have said interior design “firm”, but you can see the problem with that.
I thought that was a nice touch.
Indeed... *Everyone* knows that it is spelled Le Frogue, in French...
the infowarrior
“Rigoberta Menchu” was my tipoff.
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