The 15 February 2003 anti-war protests

Another famous protest movement that shook Britain is the 15 February 2003 anti-war protests. On February 15, 2003, a global day of protest was conducted in which individuals in over 600 places demonstrated their opposition to the impending Iraq War. It was part of a wave of protests and political events that began in 2002 and persisted throughout the invasion, war, and occupation. Social movement researchers called the day the largest protest event in human history.

According to BBC News, between six and ten million people protested in up to sixty nations over the weekend of February 15 and 16. The Stop the War Coalition (Stop) and the police agreed that the march would begin at two different locations: Thames Embankment for Londoners and those coming from the south, and Gower Street for those coming from the midlands and north. The two marches were supposed to meet in Piccadilly Circus and then proceed to a demonstration in Hyde Park.

According to the British Stop the War Coalition (Stop), the London protest was the largest political demonstration in the city's history. The police believed that around 750,000 people went, and the BBC claimed that about a million people attended. In addition to protests in England, the United Kingdom experienced demonstrations in Scotland. The Northern Ireland march took place in Belfast, with 10,000 (Guardian estimate) to 20,000 (SW estimate) people from across the sectarian divide taking part.

Date: February 15, 2003

Location: London, Scotland, Nothern Ireland

Purpose: opposition to the impending Iraq War