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Spain, one of the staunchest US allies on disarming Iraq by force, was facing a sweeping wave of anti-war sentiment at home, with thousands of Spaniards taking to the streets Saturday in the main cities of the country in protest against the US-led war.
The demonstrations, sponsored by social organizations and pacifist groups, proceeded in a peaceful way and in most places ended with mass rallies in the center of the cities and some autonomous communities.
In Seville, some 150,000 people, according to organizers, or 15,000, according to the local police, marched from Plaza Nueva square to Spain Square, together with leaders of opposition political parties and trade unions.
The protest, called by the Social Forum, included a minute of silence and the blocking of the regional office of the Popular Party (PP), where some demonstrators hurled bags of excrement, oranges and tomatoes.
In Barcelona, thousands of individuals were summoned by the group "Auterem la guerra" to demonstrate against the armed conflict in Iraq.
In Madrid, groups of actors took to the streets without incidents following a clash reported on Friday night between groups of demonstrators and law-enforcement personnel guarding the facilities of the US Embassy in the capital.
Thousands of demonstrators protested in Bilbao in response to a call by trade union leaders and social organizations, marching from the seat of the Basque government in the city and the building of the local parliament, and ended the event by releasing hundreds of pigeons.
In Malaga, several thousand people marched on downtown streets accompanied by representatives of the Andalucia government, the Socialist Workers Party, United Left Party, the General Union of Workers and the Movement Against Intolerance. The Hispano-Iraqi Friendship Association President Abood Abdulla also participated in the protest.
Santander also staged an act called by the Forum Against War and attracted some 10,000 people, while in Girona, there was a demonstration of 18,000 individuals.
Demonstrations were also held in other Spanish cities such as Palencia, Huelva, Talavera de la Reina (Toledo) and Motril (Granada).
(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2003)
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