French protests: France warned yesterday of serious consequences no matter how long hostilities lasted in Iraq, and 40,000 anti-war demonstrators marched on the US embassy to protest the start of the conflict.
Demonstrators smashed the window front of a McDonald's restaurant in south Paris, forcing police in riot gear to move in to protect staff and customers.
The attackers sprayed obscenities and "boycott" on the windows of the US hamburger chain, whose restaurants are frequently targeted by anti-US and anti-globalism protesters.
The violence came after President Jacques Chirac, who helped stymie US-British attempts to win UN backing for military force against Baghdad, said France remained convinced that only the United Nations could sanction an attack on Iraq.
"France regrets this action taken without the approval of the United Nations," Chirac said on national television.
"I hope these operations are as fast as possible, with the fewest fatalities, and that they do not lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. No matter how long this conflict lasts, it will have serious consequences for the future," he added.
Chirac, who was due later to travel to Brussels to attend a European Union summit, said Europe must present its own view of the world's problems and form a common defence policy.
Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said war would "only worsen the situation in an already fragile region". - (Reuters)