Rice meets Muslim leaders in Britain amid protests
Reuters, Blackburn
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Muslim leaders in northwest England yesterday in a trip during which protesters expressed anger that an architect of the Iraq war was on their home turf. About 200 noisy protesters waited for Rice and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw at town hall in Blackburn, chanting "Condoleezza Rice Go Home" and "No War." "They (protesters) have their freedom of speech and I'm glad they did it," said Mayor Yusef Janvirmani, who shook hands with protesters before formally welcoming Rice. Rice waved at supporters and protesters alike on her arrival and seemed undeterred by chanting demonstrators, who were kept behind barriers by dozens of police, some on horseback.
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Protesters carry a coffin towards the Philharmonic Hall as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attends a concert in Liverpool, England. The US Secretary of State is visiting the North West of England with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Her arrival has divided Muslim opinion and a planned visit to a mosque in Blackburn was scrapped after protests. PHOTO: AFP |
