REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, LONDON -- Several hundred people marched in central London on Saturday to protest Britain's involvement in US-led air strikes against Islamic State (IS) group targets in Iraq.
Demonstrators chanted slogans including "Hands off the Middle East, no justice, no peace" and held up placards with slogans such as "Stop bombing Iraq".
The protest was due to end outside Prime Minister David Cameron's Downing Street office, with addresses by speakers including British comedian Russell Brand.
The march came the day after a video was released showing the execution-style murder of British aid worker Alan Henning, who had been kidnapped by the Islamic State group. The London protest had been organised prior to the news.
Parliament voted last week for British forces to join US-led raids on targets in Iraq but not Syria. Britain now has eight Tornado jets flying out of Cyprus in combat operations in Iraq.
One demonstrator, Francis O'Neill, 36, said he had "every sympathy" with Henning's family but that he thought air strikes were not the solution.
"Whether you see someone being beheaded or being hit by a drone strike... it makes no difference," he added.
Another, 55-year-old Carl Backland, said of the operations: "It's just making the situation worse. It's crazy that we're spending billions to destroy weapons that we gave to the Iraqi army."
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