Protesters at London summit condemn attacks on Libya

The London Conference on Libya, which ended Tuesday evening with critical issues unsolved and consensus not reached, was protested by a group of around 200 Libyans who gathered near the summit venue to condemn Western actions.

Police were out in force during the event and at one point dragged a few people away from the crowd as protesters, including many women, waved flags and shouted slogans such as “Hands off Libya,” “Stop bombing Libya” and “No war for oil.”

They also criticized the French and British leaders who have headed up the international military intervention, chanting “Down, down [Nicolas] Sarkozy” and “Go to hell, [David] Cameron.”

Protest organizer Ashour Ali, a young man in his 20s from the southern part of Libya, said there is “a media war” being waged against Libya. “More than 75 percent of the people are supporting [Libyan leader Moammar] Gadhafi. Gadhafi didn’t bomb his own people,” he said, handing out DVDs that he said represented the truth about Libya.

The idea that a majority of the people in Libya support Gadhafi was reiterated by other protesters. “I used to not support Gadhafi but now I do, for a united Libya,” said Abdelhamid Mohamed, a Libyan engineering student. “It is our country, our decision, our everything.”

Hoda Alshibani, a female student at Cardiff University, said the British- and French-led airstrikes had bombed her cousin’s village. “They think Libyan people are weak, but I am ready to go back to defend my family’s honor,” she said. “The power is in people’s hands and people need to act with it, but not the foreign forces,” Alshibani added, saying that the international coalition is only involved in Libya for its resources such as oil.

An American Palestinian who attended the protest, but did not want to be named, said he had just left Tripoli and said that the rapid turn of events in Libya started with an armed coup against Gadhafi, rather than a revolution with the people’s support. He also said Gadhafi did not bomb his own people and that business had been going on as usual in Tripoli until the recent airstrikes. He added that the media has depicted the situation in Libya incorrectly and has made matters worse.

Russia Today, a Russia-based media outlet, meanwhile aired video footage and interviews that echoed protesters’ claims that many people still support Gadhafi and that he did not bomb civilians.

The London conference saw 43 attendees – mainly foreign ministers from NATO-member countries and key figures from international organizations – agree that Libyan leader Gadhafi must go, without addressing how, and witnessed disagreements on whether the Libyan rebels should be given arms. Turkey was represented by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. The African Union and Saudi Arabia failed to show up, while Arab League chief Amr Moussa was notably absent, having sent his ambassador in his place.