Growing unease brings protests across the world

Protests against war in Iraq took place in cities across the world over the weekend amid growing public unease at plans by Washington and London to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.

Organisers in America were ecstatic after some of the largest rallies there in memory. As many as 500,000 people descended on the Mall in Washington on Saturday, followed by a 1,000-strong band yesterday, with about 16 arrest-ed for breaching barricades.

More than 100,000 thronged the streets of San Francisco in an anti-war rally.

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in cities across Europe and the Middle East yesterday. In Spain, several thousand descended on a former US military base on the outskirts of Madrid. About 5,000 people marched through Brussels, and in Turkey 2,000 protesters gathered in Ankara.

In the West Bank, thousands marched in Jenin and Tulkarm, some shouting, "We sacrifice our soul and blood for Saddam."

In Britain around 50 anti-war protesters were arrested yesterday at a sit-down demonstration outside the Permanent Joint Headquarters of the British Armed Forces in Northwood, north-west London. Thousands also marched in London, Cardiff, Birmingham and Bradford.

Tony Blair faces a Labour rebellion on 28 January when the party's national executive committee discusses a motion calling on the Government to "seek a diplomatic and political solution to the situation in Iraq, and to desist from ... pre-emptive action".

Doug Henderson, a former foreign office and defence minister, urged Mr Blair to listen to the "very, very grave doubts" of the public. Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, said the work of the weapons inspectors was being hampered by "noises off" from the British and US governments.

Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary, predicted "a lot more" would emerge about Iraq's weapons. He told GMTV's Sunday programme he wanted a second UN resolution rather than "pre-emptive action".

¿ In a letter to The Independent, 17 architects, including Lord Rogers of Riverside, Sir Terry Farrell and Frank Gehry, said war would exacerbate terrorism and be "immoral".