The number of attendees - 50-60,000 - was reduced to "hundreds" (spread across two cities) in the mainstream media. So here, for your viewing pleasure, are the few hundred who braved a "rainy" London to protest (see if you can spot the umbrellas).
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Stop the War were there to call for the troops to be called home and to protest the likely attack on Iran. CND aimed to raise awareness of Tony Blair's plans to spend up to £75 billion renewing the UK's stock of Trident nuclear missiles (the same Tony Blair who in 1982 said that the Labour party would "end the nuclear madness"), and the BMI (British Muslim Initiative) were also drawing attention to the impending attack on Iran and drawing attention to the plight of the Palestinians at the hands of Israel.
In the reporting of the event the BMI's name and their part in the protest all but disappeared completely. Was this because so many of the placards called for "Justice for Palestine"? Or was it George Galloway's calls for Palestinian freedom and justice in his speech at Trafalgar Square that did it, with his reminders of Britain's role in stealing Palestine from its inhabitants as part of the Balfour agreement?
With the procession from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square taking some two and a half hours to pass by, reasonable estimates put the number of protesters somewhere between 50 and 60,000 people. Organisers were claiming up to 100,000, though even at the lower end of the estimate this is not at all the impression subsequently given by the mainstream media as we shall see.
So, you hear there's a march in London, your brother Dave went and said it was "massive", well why not check out the news to see if you can spot him in the pictures? Okey dokey let's try The Independent:
Thousands march in capital to demand 'Troops Out'Say what?! "2 to 3,000"??! Dave said the demo was "massive", that it "took ages to get into Trafalgar Square", what's going on? Best try another one, what about The Guardian/Observer?
The Independent
Lauren Veevers
Thousands of anti-war protesters marched on Trafalgar Square in London yesterday calling for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq.
Activists took to the streets with politicians, entertainers and military families, saying plans to reduce troop numbers in Iraq only furthered their cause. Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition said: "We know that many people are coming to the view that the Government is addicted to war. There could be some withdrawn from Iraq, but there are more in Afghanistan."
Stop the War estimated that tens of thousands took part in the march. The Metropolitan Police put the number at between 2,000 and 3,000.
Military Families Against the War has demanded to meet the PM to discuss the way troops are treated.
Thousands take part in anti-war ralliesNow that's just confusing. Organisers say around 100,000, Police say 2 to 3,000, how can the discrepancy be so big!? Surely either the Guardian or the Independent had at least one reporter in London close enough to nip down and check?
The Observer
Rowan Walker
Thousands of anti-war protesters took part in demonstrations yesterday in London and Glasgow calling for British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq.
Among the activists and military families who took to the streets were politicians and entertainers. Comedian Mark Thomas and playwright David Edgar were expected to speak at a rally in Trafalgar Square. The Stop the War coalition, which organised the event, along with CND and the British Muslim Initiative, estimated that around 100,000 participated in London. The Metropolitan Police estimated about 2,000-3,000 took part. The protest also demonstrated against the replacement of the Trident nuclear missile system and warned against attacking Iran.
Lindsey German, of the Stop the War Coalition, said: 'We know that many people are coming to the view that the government is addicted to war.' She added: 'They are planning to renew Trident and Tony Blair is helping George Bush with his star wars project.'
On Friday, relatives of soldiers killed or still serving in Iraq set up camp outside Downing Street to coincide with the protest and handed in a letter to the Prime Minister calling for troops to be withdrawn.
If the English mainstream media couldn't be bothered to report the facts accurately, then maybe the foreign press did a better job of it, how about that stalwart of objectivity Fox News? They're supposed to be 'fair and balanced' right? Maybe they know who's closer to the truth here?
Thousands Reject U.K. Iraq Troop PulloutHmm... "several thousand" but "smaller than the turnout predicted", well its not sounding like very many turned up, and it was "rainy" which probably put a lot of people off. But still, best be sure, how about CNN they like to be everywhere, maybe they know?
Fox News
Thousands of anti-war protesters converged on London Saturday, calling on Prime Minister Tony Blair to withdraw all of Britain's troops from Iraq and voicing fears over a potential conflict with Iran.
Several thousand marched through the rainy capital, according to initial police counts. That was far smaller than the turnout predicted by organizers, who hoped to top the several hundred thousand who rallied in London in 2004 to contest Britain's role in the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Blair said Wednesday that Britain would withdraw about 1,600 troops from Iraq over the coming months and aims to cut its 7,100 troop level to below 5,000 by late summer _ if Iraqi forces can secure the southern part of the country.
"Whether 2,000 troops come home this year or not, it is too little too late and we must intensify our call for all troops to be withdrawn now and for Britain to break the link with George Bush's foreign policy," said Lindsey German, head of the Stop The War Coalition, which organized the demonstration.
Speakers at the rally, and at a second demonstration in Glasgow, Scotland, also voiced fears the United States and Britain could take military action against Iran over its nuclear program.
The U.S. and some allies claim Tehran is using a civilian energy program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons, an allegation Iran denies.
Blair on Wednesday rejected suggestions a military conflict was likely.
Protesters reject Blair's Iraq planNotice anything? Well, first of all these two stories are almost identical with one important difference. The Fox News story states that "several thousand" people showed up While CNN states "a few thousand". Did they just 'disappear' several thousand more people from the record there? Best search again, where next..? "All Headline News" sounds good, 'click'...
CNN
Anti-war protesters converged on London Saturday to call on Prime Minister Tony Blair to withdraw all of Britain's troops from Iraq and voice fears over a potential conflict with Iran.
A few thousand people joined the march through the rainy capital, according to initial police counts.
That was far fewer than the numbers predicted by organizers, who hoped to top the several hundred thousand people who turned out for a 2004 London rally to contest Britain's role in the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Blair said Wednesday that Britain would withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq over the coming months and aims to cut its 7,100 troop level to below 5,000 by late summer -- if Iraqi forces can secure the southern part of the country.
"Whether 2,000 troops come home this year or not, it is too little too late and we must intensify our call for all troops to be withdrawn now and for Britain to break the link with George Bush's foreign policy," said Lindsey German, head of the Stop The War Coalition, which organized the demonstration.
"We think that the announcement that some troops will be withdrawn has made people more determined to join the demonstration."
She said marchers were also protesting Blair's plans for a new multibillion dollar nuclear missile defense system.
Lawmakers are due to vote later this year on Blair's recommendation to replace Britain's four nuclear-powered submarines, which are each capable of carrying up to 16 nuclear-armed Trident missiles and expected to end their operational life by 2024.
Speakers at the rally, and at a second demonstration in Glasgow, Scotland, also voiced fears the United States and Britain could take military action against Iran over its contentious nuclear program.
The U.S. and some allies claim Tehran is using a civilian energy program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons, an allegation Iran denies.
Blair on Wednesday rejected suggestions a military conflict was likely. "No one wants to resolve the issue with Iran in anything other than a diplomatic way," Blair told lawmakers. "No one is looking for confrontation with Iran."
Hundreds of British Anti-War Activists Protest Against Iraq War; Demand Troop WithdrawalNow hang on just a minute here! "Hundreds of British Anti-War Activists Protest Against Iraq War" we started with 50,000 and now we've got 100s?! Oh yeah, I get it, 'the devil is in the details'. If you just mention the 'organisers' you don't have to mention all the other people that were there! Seems the further away from the truth you are, the more distorted your view is:
All Headline News
Som Patidar
London, England (AHN) - Hundreds of anti-war activists organized protest rallies in London and Glasgow on Saturday demanding a complete British troop withdrawal from Iraq.
The protest rallies were organized by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Stop the War coalition and the British Muslim Initiative.
Lindsey German of Stop the War coalition, said to the press: "Whether 2,000 troops come home this year or not, it is too little too late and we must intensify our call for all troops to be withdrawn now."
The protest came two days after the British Prime Minister Tony Blair's announcement to reduce the number of troops in Iraq.
U.K. protesters seek end to warWith 'news reporting' like this, we should all just save our time and energy and switch off the mainstream and switch on to truly objective news sites like Signs of the Times.
The Hindu
Hasan Suroor
LONDON: Three days after Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans to cut the number of British troops in Iraq, hundreds of anti-war activists held rallies in London and Glasgow on Saturday demanding a complete British withdrawal.
Protesters carried banners and raised slogans against continuing British military involvement in Iraq as they marched through central London in what was claimed to be one of the biggest peace marches since the million-strong rally of February 2003. [...]
...And if they hadn't bragged about "shock and awe" as regards the beginning of the WAR in Iraq, we'd be hearing about a "small skirmish in Iraq" on Faux and CNN.