This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/7033296.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Anti-Iraq war marchers 'defiant' Anti-Iraq war protest goes ahead
(about 5 hours later)
People opposed to the war in Iraq are planning to go ahead with a march on Parliament - despite a ruling that their planned demonstration is illegal. Anti-war protesters have marched down Whitehall to Parliament Square, despite being told the protest was illegal.
The Stop the War Coalition is timing its protest to coincide with Gordon Brown's statement on Iraq. The Stop the War Coalition timed its protest to coincide with Gordon Brown's Commons statement on Iraq.
The group has been told it cannot march down Whitehall because of a law passed in 1839 which protects the right of MPs and peers to get to Westminster. Students, campaigners and trade unions joined the rally in Trafalgar Square, before marching down to Parliament.
The coalition says it hopes the protest will go ahead without any arrests. The group was told it could not march down Whitehall because of a law passed in 1839 which protects the right of MPs and peers to get to Westminster.
Hutch But a last-minute decision to let the march go ahead was hailed by organisers, who said they had struck a "significant blow" for democracy.
Organisers say ex-MP Tony Benn will take part in the march, along with a number of celebrities, including musician Brian Eno and comedian Mark Thomas. Protesters' determination
They also say former Starsky and Hutch TV actor David Soul is also planning to join the protest. Lindsey German, convener of the Stop the War Coalition, said they had repeatedly been told they could not go ahead with the march - but said the authorities had underestimated their determination.
Reports suggest that in his Commons statement, Mr Brown could detail plans to bring more soldiers home from Iraq and grant asylum to a fixed number of Iraqi interpreters. The protest coincided with Prime Minister Gordon Brown's statement to MPs, in which he said the plan was to reduce troop numbers to 2,500 by next spring - depending on conditions on the ground.
We have always co-operated with the police Lindsey GermanStop the War Coalition The attempt to ban this demonstration is an unacceptable assault on our civil liberties John McDonnell
Lindsey German, convener of the Stop the War Coalition, told BBC's Five Live News: "We've never had a violent demonstration. Ms German said her message to the government was: "You will never draw a line under this war until you bring all our troops home."
"The police have always said that we've behaved in a very, very good fashion and we've always co-operated with the police. Labour left-wing MP John McDonnell said the attempt to "ban" the protest had been "an unacceptable assault on our civil liberties".
"We want to know now why we're being told that we can't march and we do believe that this is something to do with government policy and, in particular, Gordon Brown's desire to draw a line under the war in Iraq." Lawful protest
Labour left-wing MP John McDonnell said: "The attempt to ban this demonstration is an unacceptable assault on our civil liberties and I will be joining the march to exercise my right to protest at the continuing presence of British troops in Iraq." Respect MP George Galloway, currently suspended from the House of Commons after a row about his Mariam Appeal charity and his comments about standards watchdogs, said organisers had won a "significant victory".
However, a Home Office spokeswoman said the march had not been "banned" and talks were being held to find a way of re-routing protesters. Speaking at the start of the protest in Trafalgar Square, he said that Mr Brown saw Iraq as a "photo opportunity" but that it had been a "graveyard for a million Iraqis".
"Under the 1839 legislation, the Metropolitan Police are in discussions with the organisers about an alternative route," she said. Other speakers included comedian Mark Thomas and Ben Griffin, a former SAS trooper.
The Metropolitan Police said it was working with the Coalition to "facilitate" a lawful protest. Owen George, 21, who was at the protest in Parliament Square, said the demonstration was "amazing".
He said: "They managed to get into the square, which is very good. It's amazing how much freedom people do have in this country."
CND chairwoman Kate Hudson accused Mr Brown of trying to ban the protest - despite promising to extend liberties around the world at the Labour Party conference.
However, a Home Office spokeswoman said the march had not been "banned" and talks had been held to find a way of re-routing protesters.
The Metropolitan Police said it had worked with the coalition to "facilitate" a lawful protest.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Our aim is to balance the right of the Stop the War Coalition to freedom of protest whilst maintaining the right of MPs and peers to conduct the business of either House whilst they are sitting."A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Our aim is to balance the right of the Stop the War Coalition to freedom of protest whilst maintaining the right of MPs and peers to conduct the business of either House whilst they are sitting."