ATHENS, Aug. 6 Kyodo, About 300 Athens residents gathered at a rally Thursday to protest the U.S.-led war in Iraq and condemn the World War II atomic bombings in Japan by the United States.

Some participants held a banner saying, ''Do not repeat Hiroshima,'' during the rally held near the Acropolis.

''The protest against the dropping of A-bomb is the starting point for a peace movement,'' said an organizer of the rally.

According to the participants, similar rallies have been held at the location every year since 1982 around the Aug. 6 anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and the Aug. 9 anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing.

2004-08-06 09:29:55JST