LONDON - Thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday demanding that Prime Minister Tony Blair withdraw British troops from Iraq.

Anti-war protesters pass along Whitehall in London during a demonstration against the conflict in Iraq, Saturday Sept. 24, 2005. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Three streams of marchers carrying banners, chanting and blowing horns set off from various parts of London aiming to pass parliament and converge on Hyde Park to hear anti-war speeches.

There was a large police presence and barricades were placed around key government buildings in case of violence.

Protesters carried banners with slogans such as "Blair Liar", "Bush world No. 1 terrorist", "No war, no nukes" and "Blair's taking liberties, troops home now".

The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 has never been popular in Britain and Blair's personal rating slumped after charges that his government had exaggerated the case for war.

The march took place on the eve of the annual conference of Blair's ruling Labour Party, which is divided over the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Britain has 8,500 soldiers in Iraq and Blair says they will be withdrawn only when stability has been restored, the Iraqi army is capable of maintaining order and a democratically elected Iraqi government says the time is right.

The insurgency in the central part of the country in an around Baghdad and the rising number of British deaths in southern Iraq -- now standing at 95 -- has further eroded public support.

The marches, organised by the Stop The War campaign, took place less than a week after British troops stormed a police station in the southern city of Basra to free two undercover soldiers who had been detained by Iaqi police.

The British say the two had been handed over to a militia group and their lives were in danger, but the Iraqis deny his was the case and have demanded an apology and compensation.

In a further blow to relations in the British theatre of operations in the south, an Iraqi judge on Saturday issued an arrest warrant for the two men.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said the warrants had no legal basis.

"All British troops in Iraq come under the jurisdiction of Britain," a defence spokesman said in London.

In the United States, the anti-war group United for Peace and Justice organised a march on Washington in protest against the war in Iraq.

The organizers said march was part of a three-day protest that would include non-violent acts of civil disobedience at the White House and an interfaith religious service.

© 2005 Reuters Ltd.

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