The Second Superpower returns to the streets

30,000 people turned out to protest the war in Iraq and Japan's military contribution. You can see a slideshow of images from the march. Greenpeace set up a web page to accept pictures from mobile phones at the rally in English and Japanese.

25,000 people took part in the protests, watched over by a team of Greenpeace activists who scaled Big Ben early in the morning and unfurled a banner saying "Time for Truth" in front of the famous clock face.

100,000 people marched in Madrid. 200,000 in Barcelona.

Thousands of people (3500 according to the police - 6000 according to the organisers) Greenpeace-staff, volunteers and supporters braved rain and wind to commemorate the invasion of Iraq.

Greenpeace activists joined with thousands in a protest organisedby the Global Coalition for Peace and Justice. George Bush's planned visit to the country has set off a storm of controversy there.

Greenpeace volunteers marched from a public square to the Amercian Embassy, where they made a peace symbol with flowers at the entrance to the building.

March 20th on board the Rainbow Warrior

The Rainbow Warrior is in Singapore for some scheduled maintenance. We were in dry-dock while they checked and painted the hull. Now we're alongside finishing up with a few things.

A commercial shipyard is not the best place for protesting the Iraq war, and there are no big demonstrations planned here in Singapore (it's not that kind of city) - so we were a little at a loss about how to commemorate March 20th. But this morning we decided the best way was a simple letter to the local representatives of the US, UK and Australia (because we have an Aussie on board who didn't want her country left out). Obviously, embassies, high commissions and those sorts of things are closed on Saturdays, but Freddie and I took the letters around and delivered them anyway.

Some of the security guards were a little puzzled asking, "What company are you with?" I pointed at my Rainbow Warrior crew t-shirt, "I'm not with anyone. I am delivering a message of support for the people around the world who are marching today to oppose the Iraq war." OK, they take the envelope with our letter.

The Rainbow Warrior did a lot of serious protests against the war last year. Some people are still facing court cases for those protests. I know today Greenpeace is carrying on that work, and I'm sure Greenpeace staff around the world took part in today's marches and protest. Although there was no big action from us today, we felt we had to do something. So we did.

-- Andrew, Radio Operator on boar the Rainbow Warrior 20 March 2004