Remembering the million plus anti Iraq War demo 20 years ago today

ByEd

Feb 15, 2023

Ray Duff at Trafalgar Square on the day

By Ray Duff – Today, Wednesday, 15 February, marks the twentieth anniversary of the largest ever demonstration to take place in Britain.

This was the anti-Iraq War protest march in London; which coincided with linked protests across Britain and indeed around the world on that day.

Prior to this, as part of the Stop the War coalition, I had held weekly protest stalls in Folkestone Town centre, with flyers, stickers, posters, and petitions etc, from December 2002 through until February; and indeed for several weeks after. I watched and heard how people’s views changed from pro-to largely anti the proposed attack. The views in Dover though tended to be more balanced either way.

*Ray Duff making his views known in the Folkestone Precinct*

The protest day events though began across the world starting in New Zealand and Australia at around the same time locally, and then as the day broke further protests, some even larger than in the UK such as 3 million in Paris, took place.

In Britain, whilst the organiser’s had only hoped for a large turnout, the sheer numbers surprised even them.

Overwhelming

I went along with a friend on the day, and suspected it would be large by the numbers on the train up. On arriving though it didn’t look very much, until we joined on the Embankment, and saw the vast crowds. It was quite overwhelming.

As we passed Parliament Square, we saw the late great anti-war protestor Brian Haw, and his demo site; and indeed I had sat in for him as he took a meal break or alongside him on some prior London visits: and then proceeded amazed at the atmosphere up Whitehall. I waved to a camera watching by the side of the road, and then began to read the large array of protest banners and who they represented, and where from.

‘Tories against the War!

The political ones ranged from the ubiquitous anarchists through to even ‘Tories against the War!. Many religious groups had also joined also from across the spectrum, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and more. Some came because they just felt UN weapons inspector Hans Blix should be given more time. Indeed he had reported that none had yet been found about Saddam’s alleged weapons or WMD’s! People, of all ages, had also come from nearly all across Britain, with those who hadn’t been able to come to London, going to city based ones across the UK.

On arriving at Hyde Park, everyone gathered to either listen to the speeches, picnic, play music, or all three and more!

After a couple of hours, I made my way back to Charing Cross, but the march was still arriving en masse, and there as I left were people from the principality of Sandgate!

On returning home, I later received a phone call from my sister in Australia, some of my family who had emigrated in the 1980s, had seen me on the news waving to the aforementioned camera and were amazed at the demos and were full of praise.

Sadly, the war went ahead, and it arguably still affects us all even today, but despite everything it was a mass exercise in democracy before, during and long after, that in my view today’s protest bashing Government would do well to remember.