BRITAIN TO BUSH: Stay Home
"The people in Britain have to say to both leaders: 'You have messed up badly, you have messed up the world, it's more dangerous, and this is what we've got to say to you'."
news.bbc.co.uk
Bush security swings into action
Negotiations over protest march routes are ongoing
An "unprecedented" security operation is under way ahead of US President George Bush's state visit to Britain.
Extra police are at ports and airports, and have been checking people arriving on Eurostar trains from France.
Police are also meeting the Stop the War Coalition to discuss the route of Thursday's protest march, where tens of thousands of people are expected.
Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy told the BBC that the president needed to be shown the extent of public concern.
Mr Bush has shrugged off the protests, saying he supports free speech and expects the trip to be "fantastic".
Scotland Yard is in overall charge of security for Mr Bush's visit - which begins on Tuesday - and has said it will have all its armed units and 5,000 officers on the streets.
Mr Bush will also be protected by hundreds of armed guards from the US.
They will not be granted diplomatic immunity, and will face courts if they shoot anybody, the Home Office has promised.
There is currently a stand-off between the police and the Stop the War Coalition over which roads can be included in the march.
The coalition insists protesters should be allowed through Whitehall and close to the Houses of Parliament, although that seems unlikely.
Anxieties
Stop The War Coalition said they believed some recent terrorism warnings could be propaganda aimed at stopping protesters from attending.
A group spokesman said: "It appears to be a lot of smoke signals at the moment but I wonder if these are the same intelligence people who warned about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."
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PRESIDENT BUSH'S ITINERARY
Tuesday 18 November - Arrives and receives private welcome at Buckingham Palace
Wednesday 19 November - Meets Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy, gives speech on transatlantic alliance and meets UK families of 11 Sept victims before attending royal banquet with Queen
Thursday 20 November - Meets British soldiers who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, holds meetings with Tony Blair at Downing Street and hosts dinner at US Ambassador's residence
Friday 21 November - Travels to Tony Blair's Sedgefield constituency to meet members of the public before returning to Washington
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Mr Kennedy, leader of the UK's third largest party, urged protesters to "use the opportunity to leave the president in no doubt as to the extent of public concern... about the way in which events tragically have unfolded".
He said he would be "expressing the anxieties" about the war felt by himself, his party and others in a meeting with the president.
However, he said he hoped there would not be a "draconian response" by the police to the demonstrations, as was seen during the visit to London by Chinese President Jiang Zemin three years ago.
And he added that it "would not be sensible" for the coalition to withdraw from Iraq early if this was only to fit in with the forthcoming presidential election timetable.
Lessons learned
Other protests are planned for the four-day state visit.
On Monday, Vietnam veteran and author of Born on the Fourth of July, Ron Kovic, will hand a 10,000-strong petition to Downing Street demanding the visit be called off.
On Tuesday, the day Mr Bush and his wife arrive in London, a Stop Bush rally will be held near Euston Station.
On Wednesday, when the president is due at Buckingham Palace, there will be an "alternative state procession" including a Big Red Peace Bus.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone is holding a peace party in City Hall on Wednesday, attended by many groups opposed to the war in Iraq.
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'Grave reservations'
But former foreign secretary Robin Cook, who stepped down as Commons leader over the Iraq war, said Mr Bush had not learned from what had "plainly" gone wrong in Iraq.
Former International Development Secretary Clare Short, who also quit over the war, said: "The people in Britain have to say to both leaders: 'You have messed up badly, you have messed up the world, it's more dangerous, and this is what we've got to say to you'."
Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, said: "President Bush should go back to Washington knowing that in Britain there are grave reservations about his foreign policy." |
