Anti-war protests at Nato summit

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Hundreds of anti-war protesters have demonstrated at a meeting of Nato members in Edinburgh.

Politicians and families of dead soldiers were joined on the march by union, student and anti-nuclear groups.

The protest even involved some delegates from the annual Nato parliamentary assembly currently taking place in the city.

They joined their fellow legislators inside the city's conference centre, after marchers passed outside.

Police barricades

Joan Humphreys, whose grandson Kevin Elliott, a 24-year-old Black Watch private, was killed in Afghanistan in August, addressed the crowd.

She called for British troops to be returned home.

Mrs Humphreys, from Dundee, said: "I would like the troops to come home walking - not on stretchers or in body bags."

Police barricades kept demonstrators about 300 yards away from the entrance to the conference centre in Morrison Street.

The marchers stopped at the barricades, chanting and letting off flares.

Protesters chanted and let off flares

John Cannell, of the Stop the War Coalition, said: "The only solution has to be a political one, but we need the troops out now to make the space for that political solution."

The rally was later addressed by Rae Street, of the CND international committee.

She said: "Nato is not a peace group - it's a military alliance, and nothing proves that more than the number of casualties coming back almost daily from Afghanistan."

The Nato assembly, which began on Friday, will focus on six themes before drawing up resolutions.

These will include reinforcing nuclear non-proliferation and "moving beyond" the economic crisis.

Nato-led operations in Afghanistan feature prominently on the agenda and relations with Russia will also be key issues.

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband is due to address the 55th annual assembly, hosted by the UK Government, when it closes on Tuesday.