Huge anti-war march in Iran
Tens of thousands of people have marched through the Iranian capital, Tehran, in protest at the US-led war in Iraq.
Demonstrators burnt US and British flags, and threw stones at the British embassy, smashing its windows.
Thousands of anti-war protesters also took to the streets in cities across Jordan, with some chanting support for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who has strongly opposed the war.
In an interview with a Lebanese newspaper, Mr al-Assad said he hoped the US-led coalition would not succeed in defeating Iraq, and warned that Syria might be America's next target.
There have also been large anti-war protests in other parts of the world, particularly in South Asia, following Muslim Friday prayers.
Effigies burnt
The demonstrations in Iran were the first anti-war protests there since the start of the US-led military action against Iraq last week.
If the American-British designs succeed - and we hope they do not succeed and we doubt that they will - there will be Arab popular resistance
Bashar al-Assad, Syrian president
The BBC's Miranda Eeles, who is in Tehran, said thousands of Iranians chanted anti-American slogans and carried banners saying "Bush is the new Hitler", as they made their way towards Revolution Square.
At the square, effigies of US President George W Bush carrying an oil drum were held high and then ceremoniously burnt.
There, one speaker called for the British embassy to be shut down, prompting hundreds of protesters to move on to the British embassy compound, where they threw stones and smashed its windows.
Our correspondent says the rally reflected Iran's mixed feelings towards the war: Iranians feel little sympathy towards Saddam Hussein but they are suspicious of America's intentions.
Islamist anger
In Jordan, police fired tear gas and used batons to control crowds in several cities.
Thousands of protesters staged anti-war rallies in the southern Islamist stronghold of Mann, with some demonstrators reportedly denouncing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as an American agent.
In the western town of Salt, hundreds of people marched through the narrow streets, chanting slogans against the United States, Britain and the Gulf emirate of Kuwait, which has allowed coalition troops to invade Iraq from its territory.
In an interview with the Lebanese as-Safir newspaper, the Syrian president said he doubted the US-led coalition will bring Iraq under its full control.
"If the American-British designs succeed - and we hope they do not succeed and we doubt that they will - there will be Arab popular resistance, and this has begun," Mr al-Assad said.
Elsewhere, some 20,000 Muslims protested against the war in India, while up to 2,000 anti-war protesters took to the streets of Pakistan-administered Kashmir after Friday prayers.
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2003/03/28 17:55:43 |
