AWOL British Soldier, Joe Glenton, Leads Anti-Afghan War March

Hazel Tyldesley, Sky News Online

A British soldier has broken military law by leading a march through London calling for the UK's troops to be brought home from Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton is the first serving member of the armed forces to have headed up an anti-war demonstration since the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001.

He is facing court martial for refusing to return to the war-torn country and was warned he would face further charges for involvement in the anti-war protest.

L/Cpl Glenton was joined by former colleagues, military families and anti-war protesters for the march through the centre of the capital.

Addressing the crowd, Lance Corporal Glenton said: "I'm here today to make a stand beside you because I believe great wrongs have been perpetrated in Afghanistan.

L/Cpl Glenton with his wife Claire. Peter Brierley, left, whose son Shaun was killed in Iraq, recently refused to shake Tony Blair's hand

Photo: Julian Simmonds / Telegraph

Addressing the crowd, Lance Corporal Glenton said:

"I'm here today to make a stand beside you because I believe great wrongs have been perpetrated in Afghanistan.

"I cannot, in good conscience, be part of them. I'm bound by law and moral duty to try and stop them.

"I'm a soldier and I belong to the profession of arms. I expected to go to war but I also expected that the need to defend this country's interests would be legal and justifiable. I don't think this is too much to ask.

Police said "around 5,000" people took part in the demonstration from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square, while a spokesman for organisers Stop The War Coalition put the figure at 10,000.

Some of the crowds chanted "Gordon Brown, terrorist" while others sang "What do we want, troops out".

Young and old carried banners bearing the slogans "troops home" and "Afghanistan out".

A total of 222 British troops have died since operations in Afghanistan began.

Jeremy Corbyn MP, vice-chairman of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: "Now is the time to change policy and bring the troops home to prevent Nato involving itself in a Vietnam-style quagmire."

Among protesters was the country's oldest anti-war demonstrator Hetty Bowyer, 104, who told the crowd:

"I march because I can see no reason for further killing."

Also attending the rally was Peter Brierley, father of Lance Corporal Shaun Brierley, who was killed in Iraq.

Earlier this month Mr Brierley refused to shake Tony Blair's hand, saying it had "my son's blood on it".

Mr Brierley said he believed British troops needed to be withdrawn from Afghanistan as soon as possible.

"They are not doing any good while they are over there. They need to leave the country to sort itself out," he said.

"While the British troops are there they are actually bringing in insurgents who are coming in to fight."

-thanks to the Sky News