Anti-War Protests Challenge EU Meeting

Some 1,000 anti-war protesters marched Saturday through the Belgian city of Liege where European Union (EU) economic and finance ministers were discussing the aftermath of last week's assaults on the United States.

The protesters were carrying banners reading "Make Love, Not War" in downtown Liege as local police sealed off the venue and took other heavy security measures for the two-day informal EU ministerial meeting.

The organizers, a broad alliance of social rights groups and left-wing activists dubbed D14, headed toward the barricaded conference center, saying they wanted to deliver a letter demanding peace and more social rights.

After the suicide air hijacking attacks that left some 6,800 people dead or missing in New York and Washington, and EU leaders pledged support for U.S. retaliation, the demonstrators coupled calls for more jobs and democracy in Europe with an anti-war message.

They called on EU politicians to stick to the anti-war principle and keep away from U.S. military actions, saying military strikes can only result in more deaths. Some protesters expressed the hope that European countries pull out of the U.S.- led NATO






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