Hundreds of thousands of Australians set to protest the war

Melbourne is gearing up to kick off a weekend of international protests marking massive public opposition to a US-led war on Iraq, with up to a projected 200,000 Australians converging on public places over the next three days in Australia alone.

Many members of the extended Cameron family are expected to attend the first of the international rallies, to be held in Melbourne, kicking off at 5pm Friday 14 February at the Victorian State Library.

Protests will also be held in other cities across Australia and the world, with well known public figures such as independent journalist John Pilger, singer-activist Peter Garrett and Greens Party leader Bob Brown speaking out against the immanent war, according to an Age newspaper article (see article).

According to the Age article, international and nationwide protests against the war will range from prayer meetings to huge public marches.

In the Age article, Mr Childs, a former Labor senator, said, "It's not the traditional marchers, it's people who have never marched before." He said organisers could not keep up with demand for pamphlets and posters about the protests.