Protesters turned out Friday in Bahrain and the Gaza Strip to rally against a possible war against Iraq, while demonstrators planned to take to the streets in several European cities. Protests on Saturday in Brussels and the German cities of Hamburg and Cologne were to coincide with similar demonstrations across the United States. German demonstrators also planned to gather in front of the European headquarters of the U.S. Army in Heidelberg.

Protesters Gear Up For Weekend Anti-War Campaign in The United States

People opposed to a possible war in Iraq are gearing up for a series of huge protests around the country this weekend.

Thousands from the Sacramento Valley and the foothills plan to make the trip to San Francisco for a rally Saturday morning. Many of them say they have never protested like this before.

"People realize that we're not going to be safer by any kind of a war against Iraq," said Peace Action spokeswoman Winnie Detwiler.

There have been other peace protests in the past, but organizers say that things are different now, and that first-time demonstrators and business professionals are outnumbering the scruffy extremists.

Mother Organizes Anti-War Protest

A former member of the Air National Guard and mother of two children is planning to protest in Washington against the potential war on Iraq.

The event is expected to be the biggest anti-war rally since the Vietnam War, organizers said.

Patrice Cuddy-Lamoree, the mother who helped organize Kansas City residents to travel to the protest, said war is not the answer.

About 160 people are expected to travel from Kansas City this weekend to join other protesters in Washington. Organizers reportedly had to turn people away because their busses were too full.

Anti-war Campaigners Hold Public Meeting in London

Around 100 anti-war campaigners held a public meeting in central London on Friday to mark the 12th anniversary of the U.S. air strikes that began the 1991 Gulf War.

The organizers of the gathering, lobby group Voices in the Wilderness, auctioned off goods illegally exported of out Iraq - postcards, wallets and clothes - to highlight the "disastrous results sanctions have had in Iraq."

Iraqi-born Haifi Zangana told the gathering that another war with Iraq would be a mistake.

Protesters Take to the Streets in The Middle East

Meanwhile, 3,500 Palestinians marched Friday in support of Saddam in Gaza City.

In the Bahraini capital of Manama, more than 1,500 citizens waving placards and banners marched saying "No!" to war with Iraq and calling on their leadership to expel U.S. forces from the kingdom.

Around 100 anti-war campaigners held a public meeting to mark the 12th anniversary of the U.S. air strikes that began the 1991 Gulf War.

The organizers of the gathering, lobby group Voices in the Wilderness, said that war on Iraq would be illegal, immoral and counter productive.

Ankara Protests

Some 500 people marched in the Turkish capital city of Ankara against a war in Iraq chanting slogans against war and American imperialism. The protesters Walked to the door of the U.S. embassy in Ankara and left a black wreath at the door. The demonstration ended uneventfully with the reading of a message against any war in Iraq.

Another smaller anti-war demonstration took place in Istanbul. Police arrested demonstrators and removed them from the scene. The United States' top general, Richard Myers, is due to visit Turkey this weekend.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

A Brazilian anti-war protestor holds a banner with a portrait of Adolf Hitler next to U.S President George W. Bush, during a peace demonstration in Sao Paulo, January 17, 2003. About 100 protestors marched to the U.S consulate on Friday shouting slogans against a possible U.S.-lead war against Iraq. REUTERS/Marcelo Alves/Futura Press BRAZIL OUT