AUSTRALIA: Photos: Noisy antiwar protest through Melbourne Streets

March 20th is the 4th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. Protest around the globe will mark this weekend. In Melbourne about 500 people gathered outside the State Library on Saturday and marched through the city streets to the Headquarters of the Liberal Party.

Melbourne Noisy antiwar protest

The crowd that gathered outside the State Library listened to several speakers and milled around the dusty lawns of the Library and the footpath. Socialist and anarchist groups were well represented, but there was also quite a number of families with children and perhaps a few regional groups such as the Geelong antiwar coalition.

The police presence was sizable but the protest was just another noisy march through the streets of Melbourne entertaining Saturday afternoon shoppers and tourists. At one point in the Bourke Street Mall the police were videoing the march. I'm sure they will attempt to match faces from this protest to previous protests, including the G20 protests.

The protest in Melbourne was organised by the Melbourne Stop the War Coalition and Civil Rights Defence. Several banners focused on the campaign to release David Hicks from Guantanamo Bay Detention Centre. The protest called for Australia to withdraw Australian troops from both Iraq and Afghanistan.

At the end of the march two further speeches were made outside the Liberal Party Headquarters, before people peacefully dispersed.

Background:
Reports of Anti-war protests in Melbourne Feb-March 2003