Tony Benn: The 5-Minute Interview

'The anti-war movement now represents a majority in the country'

Tony Benn, 80, the veteran peace campaigner, spoke at a Stop the War Coalition rally in Trafalgar Square on Saturday marking the third anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq. The campaign has collected more than 1,000 signatories to a letter drafted by Mr Benn and sent to the Attorney General Lord Goldsmith, asking him to investigate breaches of the Nuremberg Charter and Geneva and Hague conventions.

Is the anti-war movement growing?

I think it is, we now represent majority opinion in this country. Police said there were only 15,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday and I'm sure there were many more people than that. An hour and a half after I got there people were still arriving.

Critics have said the march will have little effect

This is typical media nonsense ... the arguments we have put forward have registered with millions of people around the world. There were marches in 40 cities around the world over the weekend. How long did it take to get women the vote? We have to be impatient and patient.

On Bush and Blair?

George Bush's popularity is down, that is a fact and I think Blair's is down as well. There are so many questions still unanswered ... why are we still in Afghanistan? Why are we threatening Iran?

Who else has signed?

Rory Bremner, Brian Eno, who was also at the march on Saturday, Michael Gambon, Ken Loach, Bruce Kent, chair of CND, and many others. We must keep up the pressure to call the politicians to account.

What is the future of the movement?

I continue to go to meeting around the country, we will continue to work against the war. Obviously in 2003 when the invasion took place you got many more people turning up ... but there is a problem with the way the media represents things, the BBC never reports from any public meetings.