NTV (a German corporate media company) are reporting that upto half a million people are currently attending a demonstration in Berlin against a way on Iraq.

In a similar arragement to the demo currently taking place in London, two demos met in separate parts of Berlin at 12 noon today to protest against a war in the Gulf. The demos both headed to the same destination. A rally with music and speakers is currently taking place.

The demo was made up of many different groups of people. Some thanking or praising the SPD and Green Party's "anti-war" positions, and others criticising them for not going far enough (eg: still allowing the US/UK to use bases in Germany and granting them fly-over rights). Others said that their rhetoric empty and that self-interest fuelled their anti-war position.

Many political parties, trade unions, NGO's and left-wing and peace groups took part in the demonstration - along with thousands of unaffiliated individuals.

The NPD (Nationalist Party of Deutschland)had threatened to openly attend the demonstration, but (as far as I am aware) were nowhere to be seen.

An 'autonomous bloc', or rather - several small autonomous/radical blocs, took part in the demonstration, hanging banners with slogans such as "Fight Capitalist War! Fight Capitalist Peace! Hallucinations Burst - Disolve Germany!", "Domination Creates War", "Against Capitalist War - No God, No State, No Patriarchy". A war memorial (not sure which one, a big statue that was a tribute to some General or other I think - but not too sure????) was paint-bombed and some (but very little) graffiti was sprayed, including slogans such as "No War But The Class War!", "No War - @" etc...

The police pressence on the demo was fairly low (compared to on other demos in Berlin, anyhow!), beside their blocking the roads to the American and British Embassies.

The demo is still going on and there is a plan for people to converge on the Reichstag at 6pm to spell out an anti-war message with tourches....