Thousands of protestors surrounded the streets of London last night to voice their opposition to military intervention in Syria.
MPs were told to use side exits to leave the Houses of Parliament because of a swell of anti-war activists around Westminster Bridge, and last night chants of “David Cameron, shame on you!” and “Don’t bomb Syria!” rang out across Parliament Square.
Speakers at the last-minute protest, organised by the Stop the War coalition, included divisive Dundee-born politician George Galloway, who said any war in Syria “cannot possibly go well”, and SNP MP Philippa Whitford.
At the end of the mainly peaceful march around 200 protesters sat down on Parliament Square, forcing police to physically drag some of them onto the pavement. At least one man was seen being bundled into the back of a police van.
Angus Macpherson, from the Isle of Skye, said his opposition to the conflict stemmed from the prime minister failing to make a convincing argument for air strikes.
Holding a giant banner he made in his now home town of Bristol, he said: “I supported the bombing they were doing in Iraq to protect the Kurds because they have been attacked by ISIL. That was a strategy to protect people in an area.
“I just don’t think the prime minister has made the case for why we should be involved in this bombing. He’s saying it will make us safer on the streets but I can’t see how that will work.”
Mr Galloway said MPs’ phones are “ringing off the hook” with constituents urging them to vote against air strikes.