LONDON—Five thousand people protested the war in Afghanistan here October 24 at a demonstration organized by the Stop the War Coalition. The protest marked the eighth anniversary of the war and demanded the withdrawal of British troops.

London first sent soldiers to Afghanistan in 2001 as part of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom invasion to overthrow the Taliban government. There are currently 9,000 British troops there, the vast bulk in Helmand Province. Some 70,000 British troops have served in Afghanistan over the course of the war. Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced October 14 that 500 more infantry soldiers will be deployed there in the coming weeks.

Over recent months a number of capitalist politicians have expressed reservations about Britain’s involvement in the war.

—JONATHAN SILBERMAN