Protesters call for ceasefire

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Written by tush

Hundreds of demonstrators have converged on Downing Street in a large-scale protest against British policy in Lebanon.

Former Labour MP Tony Benn joined organisations such as Stop The War Coalition, CND, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and members of the Lebanese community to hand over an open letter supported by some 8,000 people to number 10.

The document urges the Prime Minister to call for an immediate ceasefire in the region.

Baring placards with slogans such as Free Palestine, Ceasefire Now and Hands Off Lebanon, the protesters amassed opposite the gates of Downing Street and chanted: "How many kids have you killed today?"

As Tony Blair meets with US President George Bush in Washington and seeks to speed up progress towards the people's solution to the crisis, Mr Benn said: "We represent the overwhelming majority of people in Britain - two thirds - and we represent every country in the world that wants a ceasefire, except Israel, Bush and Blair."

He described as "an outrage" the American delivery of weapons to Israel through UK airports. And he added Tony Blair had "no influence whatever" on Mr Bush: "He is absolutely no influence on Bush. The only special relationship is the one we see in Washington and Jerusalem."

Mr Benn was a member of the small delegation that headed through the Downing Street gates to deliver the open letter.

Yasmeen Atauallah, spokeswoman for the British Muslim Initiative said: "You can see there's so many people in the country who are completely against British-US policy, which is completely isolated and is allowing Israel to commit crimes against humanity. They talk about a ceasefire not achieving anything... it could have stopped the massacre of more than 600 people, prevented the death of four UN observers and it would have stopped the bombing of medical and humanitarian aid coming from the UAE to Lebanon."

She added of reports of further arms supplies travelling via the UK: "To listen and read [that] we are going to allow two further flights certainly makes Britain complicit in Israel's war crimes.

"I think everyone in this country is disgusted - and none of this is in our name."

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