Protesters carrying signs reading 'Stop the war, No blood for oil'

PRAGUE , November 22 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Czech police on Thursday, November 21, made several arrests during an anti-NATO and anti-war protest in central Prague and later expelled two of the protestors from the country.

The arrests came as a group of up to 1,000 demonstrators, shouting slogans against the United States ' policy toward Iraq and brandishing red and black banners, tried to march on the conference center where the leaders of the Atlantic alliance were convened, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

During the three-hour demonstration in Prague's historic center, between 800 and 1,000 protesters paraded with banners in Czech and English marked "stop the war" and "together against NATO terror" and shouted messages aimed notably at U.S. President George W. Bush.

Many in the crowd masked their faces, despite a ban on this by Prague police who were deployed in force.

One of the expelled youths, from Germany, has been known to Czech police as an "undesirable person" since he participated in similar protests against an IMF and World Bank meeting in the Czech capital two years ago, police spokesman Jan Holub said.

His identity papers were "not in order" as well, as were those of a Polish demonstrator who was also ordered expelled, Holub claimed.

Both men have 24 hours to leave the country, according to the expulsion order handed down by the police forces in charge of handling foreigners.

Police did not give the names and ages of the two.

After the arrests, the protests proceeded without incident, although demonstrators were stopped by the massive police force deployed for the summit from approaching the meeting area.

Security has been ratcheted up for the summit, with access to the venue tightly controlled and more than 10,000 police officers and soldiers on the streets.

Two helicopters kept permanent watch overhead on the crowd.

Members of a self-appointed "judicial civilian patrol" composed of youths equipped with video equipment and cameras, were also present to observe and record police treatment of protestors.

Several hundred protestors demonstrated against NATO and the U.S. threat of war on Iraq Wednesday, November 20, as police and troops mounted ratchet-tight security around a landmark summit of the Alliance in Prague .

The demonstrators gathered on Prague 's Old Town Square , a highly symbolic spot where the 1948 Prague Coup which launched four decades of communist rule was launched.

"Bush is a global fool, and we must oppose these global fools," said the head of the Czech Communist Party (KSCM), Miroslav Grebenicek, launching a fierce attack on the U.S. threat of war against Iraq , which is clouding the NATO summit.

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