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CNN Sunday Morning

Demonstrators in Europe, U.S. Voice Opposition to War in Iraq

Aired October 27, 2002 - 07:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of demonstrators turned out in the U.S. and Europe to voice their opposition to President Bush's war threat against Iraq.
CNN's Al Goodman joins us now from Madrid, Spain with the latest -- Al.

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Arthel, we're here in the center of Madrid in the Porte de Sol Plaza, where a spirited but relatively small anti-war demonstration has just broken up. Organizers say about 3000 people attended and they say that's a lot smaller than they wanted to, especially with a beautiful sunny day here in Madrid. That was not the case across Europe on Saturday, when there were also relatively small crowds, but in many of those places in Germany, in the Scandinavian countries, there was very bad weather.

That's not the case here in Spain. Now it was a spirited demonstration. There were signs calling for peace. There was a large Palestinian flag, because many people in the crowd telling us that they think the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is linked to this possible war in Iraq.

Now of course, the Bush administration says that a war on Iraq would be to solve the problem of Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction and the threat they pose to Iraq's neighbors, but that's not the view that we saw here in Madrid.

On Saturday in these anti-war protests held in the United States and across Europe and around the world, perhaps the largest one was in Washington, where organizers said up to about 100,000 people came to hear the Reverend Jesse Jackson and other activists call on the Bush administration not to attack Iraq.

In Europe, the biggest demonstrations were in Germany, especially in Berlin. And here in Spain this day, the demonstrations in Madrid and also in the other two larger cities, Barcelona and Valencia, we do not have a count yet on how many people attended, but certainly a disappointing crowd, according to the organizers here in Madrid -- Arthel.

NEVILLE: Al Goodman, thank you very much for that report from Madrid, Spain.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Iraq>


Aired October 27, 2002 - 07:32   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of demonstrators turned out in the U.S. and Europe to voice their opposition to President Bush's war threat against Iraq.
CNN's Al Goodman joins us now from Madrid, Spain with the latest -- Al.

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Arthel, we're here in the center of Madrid in the Porte de Sol Plaza, where a spirited but relatively small anti-war demonstration has just broken up. Organizers say about 3000 people attended and they say that's a lot smaller than they wanted to, especially with a beautiful sunny day here in Madrid. That was not the case across Europe on Saturday, when there were also relatively small crowds, but in many of those places in Germany, in the Scandinavian countries, there was very bad weather.

That's not the case here in Spain. Now it was a spirited demonstration. There were signs calling for peace. There was a large Palestinian flag, because many people in the crowd telling us that they think the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is linked to this possible war in Iraq.

Now of course, the Bush administration says that a war on Iraq would be to solve the problem of Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction and the threat they pose to Iraq's neighbors, but that's not the view that we saw here in Madrid.

On Saturday in these anti-war protests held in the United States and across Europe and around the world, perhaps the largest one was in Washington, where organizers said up to about 100,000 people came to hear the Reverend Jesse Jackson and other activists call on the Bush administration not to attack Iraq.

In Europe, the biggest demonstrations were in Germany, especially in Berlin. And here in Spain this day, the demonstrations in Madrid and also in the other two larger cities, Barcelona and Valencia, we do not have a count yet on how many people attended, but certainly a disappointing crowd, according to the organizers here in Madrid -- Arthel.

NEVILLE: Al Goodman, thank you very much for that report from Madrid, Spain.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Iraq>