Hundreds of Iraqis demonstrated against terrorism and for democracy yesterday in Baghdad, but the world press reports it only as a footnote in their ongoing campaign of negativism: Hundreds protest violence in Baghdad as US soldier killed in mortar attack. AFP uses the word “violence” in their headline, even though the purpose of the march was explicitly to protest terrorism.

Iraqi police and US forces closed off Baghdad’s main commercial thoroughfare as hundreds marched through the city centre to demonstrate against terror amid persistent fears of attack by anti-US insurgents or Islamic militants.

Security services were taking no chances with a rally bound to be seen as pro-American by the insurgents and a heavy Iraqi police presence accompanied the marchers while two US military helicopters hovered ahead.

“This is the picture of the martyr Adnan. He is a martyr of terror,” said Hassan Rehemi, holding aloft a photograph of his 20-year-old son, who died in a blast north of Baghdad last week.

In a speech, Aziz al-Yasser, the coordinator of the rally organisers, the Alliance of Iraqi Democratic Forces, called on ordinary people to help the US-led coalition in the fight against insurgents.

“We have to help the coalition — the call issued by some for the withdrawal of occupation forces is suspect, Iraq will drown in a lake of blood if they withdraw,” he said, adding that the attacks were delaying the end of the US-led occupation.