British protesters call for withdrawal of US, UK troops from Iraq

Hundreds of anti-war protesters marched through London on Saturday, calling for US and British troops to be withdrawn from Iraq and expressing dismay at the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

Demonstrators dressed as coalition soldiers led the march, pretending to torture others dressed in black hoods.

They called for freedom for Iraq and Palestine and for the US and British leaders to resign.

London Mayor Ken Livingstone addressed the rally, urging US President George W. Bush to be "prosecuted for the war crimes he has overseen and unleashed" should he lose the forthcoming presidential elections.

"There is nothing more to say than that the only way to end these horrors is by bringing our troops out of Iraq immediately," he said.

Kate Hudson, a spokeswoman for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: "We are protesting about the shocking abuses in Iraq and call for the withdrawal of the illegal aggressor forces."

Another rally was held outside Downing Street on Saturday afternoon to highlight the human rights abuses of Palestinians.

Source: Xinhua