Skip to main content Sign in · Register Go to: [Guardian Unlimited home] Go Guardian Unlimited IFRAME: http://ads.guardian.co.uk/html.ng/Params.richmedia=yes&spacedesc=cookie&site=Guardian§ion=103690&country=(none)&rand=4420297 IFRAME: http://ads.guardian.co.uk/html.ng/Params.richmedia=yes&location=top&site=Guardian§ion=103690&country=(none)&rand=4420297 Advertisement Read today's paper · Jobs Search: ____________________ Go (_) Guardian Unlimited (_) Web Guardian Unlimited The Guardian Home UK Business Audio World dispatch The Wrap Newsblog Talk Search The Guardian World News guide Arts Special reports Columnists Technology Help Quiz UK News Search this site __________ Go In this section Welsh university heads call for action over funding gap Guitarist joins astronomers to tell history of universe Top Gear presenter recalls 288mph crash Prisoners freed under supervision carried out 61 violent crimes Police criticised over Scientology praise Rundown areas win share in £150m lottery grants End of the road for French guide to good food and budget beds in UK Tougher ethical code imposed on doctors Show to inspire young scientists Pair arrested in hunt for girl's attacker Hawking joins war protest tribute to Iraq dead Duncan Campbell Wednesday November 3, 2004 The Guardian Stephen Hawking last night joined writers, politicians, actors, sports stars, students and peace campaigners in a reading of the names of those who have lost their lives In Iraq since the conflict began. Beneath a floodlit Lord Nelson in Trafalgar Square, the author of A Brief History of Time read the names of Iraqi civilians who had died and explained why he had come to London to be part of the reading. Article continues [arrow9x7.gif] ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ IFRAME: http://ads.guardian.co.uk/html.ng/Params.richmedia=yes&spacedesc=mpu&site=Guardian&navsection=1698§ion=103690&country=(none)&rand=4420297 Advertisement ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "The war was based on two lies," he said through his voice synthesiser. Both the claims of weapons of mass destruction and linkage to September 11 had proved untrue. "It has been a tragedy for all the families. If that is not a war crime, what is?" He added: "I apologise for my pronunciation. My speech synthesiser was not designed for Iraqi names." The reading, organised by the Stop the War Coalition, was one of hundreds taking place all over Britain and in other countries, including Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia and Iraq. More than 5,000 names were read out in front of hundreds of anti-war campaigners and passers-by Ken Livingstone, the London mayor, said that the US election day had been chosen as the appropriate day for the event. He recited the names of Iraqi children who had died. Chris Eubank, the former world middleweight boxing champion, read the names of British soldiers. Among those also reading names were writer Harold Pinter, actors Neil Pearson and Corin Redgrave, MPs Jeremy Corbyn and George Galloway and American students who opposed the war. Last week, the Stop the War Coalition estimated that more than 25,000 people had been killed in the conflict. However, that number has now been revised in the wake of the publication in the Lancet of a survey indicating that the number of deaths attributed to the war could be as high as 100,000. The names read out ranged from British Lance Corporal Matty Hull and Iraqi children to Thai servicemen. Special reports The anti-war movement Iraq Afghanistan Useful links Guide to anti-war websites Stop the War Coalition (UK) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Printable version | Send it to a friend | Save story [Daily sections.........] Go [Weekly sections............] Go UP IFRAME: /external/overture/iframe/0,,,00.html?overtureID=v2_news&displayMode=trail&maxAdCount=3&isSearch=0&siteName=Guardian&div_name=§ion_id=103690 Privacy policy | Terms & conditions | Advertising guide | A-Z index | About this site Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006 [noscript.gif]