Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
There is no glory to war – only misery, death and destruction
JEREMY CORBYN recalls the biggest co-ordinated demonstration in the world – against the Iraq war in 2003 – and reminds us that the need for peace is more desperate than ever
Aerial view of Hyde Park during the anti-war march in central London, February 15, 2003

IT WAS 20 years ago today, on February 15 2003, that I stepped on to the huge stage in Hyde Park. 

I immediately realised this was no ordinary rally. I had never seen one million people in one place; in every direction there were people, people, people. 

A sea of banners waved in the wind: our own printed ones, union ones, homemade ones and children’s heartfelt pleas for peace in the world. 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Jeremy Corbyn speaks before a CND banner
Features / 4 August 2026
4 August 2026

JEREMY CORBYN says we should never forget the horrific reality of nuclear weapons, or cease our efforts to rid the planet of them entirely

late rage
Short Story / 10 July 2026
10 July 2026

Ron's rages are sincere and — according to his wife — healthily cathartic. But can these splenetic outbursts loosen the grip of capitalism at its most monstrous?  

Richard Baxell speaking at the Marx Memorial Library in London [Pic: Karl Weiss]
Spanish Civil War 90th Anniversary / 4 July 2026
4 July 2026

Driven by anti-fascism and anger at Britain’s policy of non-intervention, thousands volunteered to fight in the Spanish civil war. Historian RICHARD BAXELL reflects on their sacrifices and enduring significance

guthrie
Album Review / 14 August 2025
14 August 2025

TONY BURKE revels in the publication of previously unreleased tracks by the great US folksinger