Protests begin ahead of Bush visit
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The protester spent two hours on the gates of Buckingham Palace.
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LONDON, England -- A lone protester scaled the gates of Buckingham Palace and activists delivered a petition to Tony Blair's office as police prepared for U.S. President George W. Bush's state visit to Britain.
Police began erecting concrete barriers outside Queen Elizabeth II's London residence as part of an unprecedented security operation ahead of Bush's trip.
Officers faced their first test when a woman in a fluorescent jacket climbed the 20-foot-high, wrought-iron palace gates and unfurled an upside-down U.S. flag with the inscription "Elizabeth Windsor and Co. He's not welcome."
The woman ended her protest after two hours at about 6 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) Monday, dropping the flag to the ground and climbing down the gates. She was placed in a police van and driven away.
At Prime Minister Blair's official residence at nearby 10 Downing Street, anti-war protesters and U.S. Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic delivered a largely symbolic last-ditch petition signed by more than 85,000 people urging the government to withdraw Bush's invitation.
"What is happening in Iraq is a mirror image of the nightmare that happened in Vietnam. This is unacceptable and we will not stand for it," said Kovic, the subject of the movie "Born on the Fourth of July."
"What we are doing with the petition is essentially making a statement to President Bush that this war is terribly wrong. It is terribly misguided."
Police, concerned about the possibility of a terrorist attack, deployed extra officers at airports and ferries ahead of Bush's arrival Tuesday night, while roads in London were blocked and drivers stopped and searched.
The White House has insisted on intense security, and traditional events such as a horse-drawn carriage ride with the queen will not be included in the program of events.
Blair said fears of a terrorist attack were justified after bombings at two synagogues in Turkey killed at least 24 people Saturday. (Full story)
London police chief Sir John Stevens said: "The security is unprecedented because one, the level of the terrorism threat, and two, the nature of the president's visit."
Police have increased the number of officers on duty during the three-day visit from 5,000 to 14,000. Rooftop snipers will line Bush's route through the city.
Armed police on duty outside the U.S. embassy in central London
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The state visit comes days after a study was released which said London was at greater risk of being hit by a terrorist attack from Islamic extremists than any major city in the United States or Western Europe. (Full story)
But the trip, during which Bush will discuss the future of Iraq with Blair and meet families of British soldiers who died there, risks being overshadowed by large-scale protests.
Tens of thousands of anti-war campaigners plan to demonstrate against the U.S. president, whose decision to invade Iraq was opposed by a majority of Britons but staunchly supported by Blair. (Full story)
Protest organizers scored an important victory Monday when police said their Thursday march could pass by the Houses of Parliament and Downing Street, where Bush is expected to spend part of the day.
Police had earlier decided to keep the march away from London's main government district. But they said organizers acknowledged security concerns and promised to do everything possible to keep the march peaceful.
Protest organizers hope to draw about 60,000 marchers.
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Kovic, in wheelchair, helps deliver a petition to 10 Downing Street.
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Police "know how big this demo is going to be and they knew how angry people were going to be if they weren't given this route," said Ghada Razuki of the Stop the War Coalition.
Charles Kennedy, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrat party, who will meet Bush at an official function, lent his backing to the protests.
"I think we should use the opportunity to leave the president in no doubt as to the extent of public concern, not just in our country, but in Europe generally about the way in which events, tragically, have unfolded," Kennedy told the BBC.
Bush has said he will not be fazed by the protests. "I am so pleased to be going to a country which says that people are allowed to express their mind. That's fantastic. Freedom is a beautiful thing," he told the UK's Press Association last week. (Full story)
