Thousands Protest War in Iraq

On the first day of war in Iraq, thousands of Turks gathered in Istanbul to call for peace. Along with a number of political parties, a vast number of protestors and passers-by joined the demonstration in Taksim Square.

"Keep on shouting, No to War," "If lawmakers approve the resolution, they should go and fight," "Long Live the brotherhood of Peoples," "U.S. take your hands off the Middle East," "Make Peace not War," and "We won't kill, we won't die, we won't be anybody's soldier," were the most frequent slogans at the protest.

Police watched to demonstration in large numbers. Most of the demonstrators dispersed peacefully while about 800 marched towards the U.S. Consulate.

The police intervened and used tear gas to disperse protestors. Some protesters were detained. (Exact number is not known at the moment). (BE/NM/EA)