Protesters march over Rice visit

A group of about 100 protesters marched today to Blackburn Town Hall, where US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due to meet Muslim leaders and local dignitaries.

Dr Rice is in England as the guest of British Foreign Secretary and local MP Jack Straw. She is due at the town hall after a visit to Blackburn cathedral.

Protesters today shouted: “Condoleezza Rice go home” and “Rice, Straw, unjust war”.

At the front of the procession, six demonstrators wore orange boiler suits to protest against the imprisonment of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay.

Mounted police rode in front of the protesters, who were flanked by uniformed officers.

Protest leader Hanif Dudhuala said they were marching in solidarity with the victims of American oppression.

As the protesters approached Blackburn Town Hall their numbers had increased to about 200.

Some carried orange banners identifying themselves as members of the radical Muslim group Hizb Ut-Tahrir.

The banner read “War on terror equals war on Islam”.

Amar Hassain, 23, a security guard from Manchester, said he thought Ms Rice was a war criminal.

“I think it’s wrong that we have allowed Condoleezza Rice to come here. We are against the invasion of Iraq. It was a criminal offence.”

Peter Harvey, 59, a psychologist from Bradford, Yorkshire, said he thought the US' overseas wars were “illegal”.

“They told us lies right from the start. It was carried out for the wrong reasons.

“I think we should make it clear that we think it’s wrong her being here.”