Anti-Thatcher party in London draws hundreds

[NBCNews]

Tal Cohen / EPAA protester during an anti-Thatcher demonstration in Trafalgar Square, in London, Britain, April 13, 2013. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died after suffering a stroke at the age of 87 on April 8.By The Associated PressHundreds of opponents of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher partied  in London's Trafalgar Square to celebrate her death, sipping Champagne  and chanting "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead."

Thatcher's most  strident critics had long vowed to hold a gathering in central London on  the Saturday following her passing, and the festivities were an  indication of the depth of the hatred which some Britons still feel for  their former leader.

"We've been waiting a long time for this,"  Richard Watson, a 45-year-old from eastern England wearing a party hat,  said. "It's an opportunity of a lifetime."


As a huge effigy of  Thatcher, with a hook-nosed and toting a handbag, made its way down the  stairs in front of the National Gallery, the crowd erupted into cries of  "Maggie! Maggie! Maggie! Dead! Dead! Dead!" and sang lyrics from the  "Wizard of Oz" ditty "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead."

 

Follow @NBCNewsWorldHundreds of  people clutched their umbrellas in the rain between Nelson's Column and  the National Gallery on the square, drinking cider or Champagne. The  mood appeared festive and the celebration was peaceful, although there  was a minor scuffle with police at one point. Police said they made five  arrests, most for drunkenness.

Britons remain deeply divided  over Thatcher, who died Monday aged 87, and the debate over her legacy  has revived the strong feelings that marked her more than decade-long  term in office. Thatcher's funeral is Wednesday and police are bracing  for possible trouble along the procession route in central London.

Widely  respected on the right for reviving Britain's economic fortunes and  besting Argentina in a war over the Falklands, Thatcher is reviled by  some on the left for her bruising confrontation with the country's union  movement and her perceived indifference to its working class.

Some  in the crowd said they didn't want to dance on Thatcher's grave, but  they did want to mark their opposition to what she stood for.

"I'm  not here to celebrate Thatcher's death," Andy Withers, 49, said. "But  what's going on tonight is part of the legacy she created."