German Party Ejected From Assembly Over War Protest

Deputies from Germany's Left party who held up posters in the lower house of parliament in an anti-war protest on Friday were thrown out before a vote on whether to increase the number of German troops in Afghanistan.

The deputies held up posters with names of civilians they said were killed by an air strike in September carried out on German orders. The strike by a U.S. F-15 fighter killed at least 69 Taliban fighters and 30 civilians, the Afghan government said.

There are 622 members of parliament grouped in six parties. The Left is one of three opposition parties in the Bundestag with 76 seats.

Norbert Lammert, president of the parliament, first told the Left party deputies to fold up their movie posters. When they refused, he ordered them all to leave.

"Germany is taking part in a war against the population of Afghanistan," Left party deputy Christine Buchholz said in a speech to parliament moments before the anti-war protest.

February 26, 2010