The march assembled at 11.30 am at Parliament Square. A group of 100 that later grew up to 250 people marched from there to Victoria, then Hyde Park Corner and Grosvenor Square, in front of the U.S. Embassy.

The big puppet that is seen in some of the pictures wanted to symbolise all women around the world.

One of the demands were for military spending to be invested in caring - that military spending accounts for over $900 billion annually.

Some chantings were:

Investing in caring, not killing.
We want welfare, not warfare.
We want children, not body bags.
We want peace not war.
We want food not bombs.
Who makes weapons of mass destruction: UK, USA.

UK women say: no war
USA women say: no war
Iraqui women say: no war
Palestinian women say: no war
Israeli women say: no war
Muslim women say: no war
Jewish women say: no war
Christian women say: no war
Atheist women say: no war
ALL women say: no war.

At 2.00pm we arrived in Grosvenor Square, where women from various countries shared their experiences with those present- including police.

There we learned that:

some of the present today, had been in this square against the Vietnam war as well - back here to meet a new anti-war generation.

in USA, native american communities live as poorly as indigenous people in South America: no electricity, no running water, no sanitation - in the richest country on earth. The oil extracted from those lands was invested in arms, leaving devastation and suffering.

in Iraq, the genocide has continued for the last 12 years, with around 23 million people dead thanks to the economic sanctions. Women have seen the devastation left by US chemical weapons especially in Kurdish Iraq.

there are UN resolutions against Israel, but they are not fulfilled.

People in Iraq want to get rid of Saddam - but it is no one else's business.

there is a generation in Sri Lanka that has never seen peace in their country - women get the most abused, and especially for them, there is no way out.

mr. W. Bush went years ago to Argentina, to start off privatisation programs of water and other public services. This was how disaster began - the final blow came thanks to the IMF, WB and all banks.

in Venezuela, the last coup against the government was orchestrated by the USA - this country was the only one who recognised the military government that lasted 2 days - very much for democracy

70% of households are lead by women in Venezuela; this explains the overwhelming feminine presence in the popular upraising.

during the Gulf War 12 years ago, only 40 British soldiers died. in the months following the war, 600 men died in UK. 70% of them committed suicide.