Watch Out

“I have walked on every march against us going to war. At my age there is not very much I can do but while my legs can carry me I am going to march.”

Politician and Stop the War Coalition president Tony Benn also attended despite recent ill-health.

The centre of London was temporarily brought to a standstill by the march but the event itself passed without incident, according to the Metropolitan police.

Some of the crowds chants included, “Gordon Brown, terrorist” and “What do we want, troops out”.

Today’s demonstration comes as a survey reveals that 84% of people believe the UK is losing the war against the Taliban.

The YouGov poll for Channel 4 News also found that nearly half of those asked thought the war was now unwinnable.

A spokesman for Stop the War Coalition said: “We estimate that about 10,000 attended today, which is a very good turn-out for us and shows the strength of feeling on this issue.

“The majority of people in Britain want the troops out of Afghanistan now.

“They know this war is unwinnable and unjustifiable.

“This demonstration gave a voice to that majority who say the troops must come home now.”

The government have been under mounting pressure to pull out of the country as a result of the rising death-toll and accusations soldiers are not being provided with sufficient equipment and resources to fight the insurgency.

Gordon Brown claims the war is vital to preventing terrorism attacks on home soil and has announced he may deploy a further 500 troops.

A spokesman for the MoD said: "It is vital to the UK that Afghanistan becomes a stable and secure state that is able to suppress violent extremism within its borders.

"Britain's own security is at risk if we again allow Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists, and that would be the result if Nato forces were to pull out of the country immediately."

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