Hundreds gather to celebrate the death of former UK prime minister

         
Thousands of opponents of former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher gathered Trafalgar Square, central London, late on Saturday, to celebrate her death, sipping drinks and chanting slogans.        

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.       

"She is still in power through David Cameron, through Tony Blair, through all of those people that are just carrying on her legacy," said Steve, one protester from Brighton.        

"Don't you understand that she is still here? She lives forever in this country now. We cannot get rid of her, until we have a revolution," he added.       

"I was delighted when I heard she died," said Sue, another protester, "I've been waiting thirty long years for this. She was an inhuman woman."          

As a handbag-toting Thatcher effigy made its way down the stairs in front of the National Gallery, the crowd erupted into cries of "Maggie! Maggie! Maggie! Dead! Dead! Dead!".
          
Hundreds of people clutched their umbrellas in the rain between Nelson's Column and the National Gallery on the Square, sipping drinks.        

The mood appeared festive and the celebration was peaceful, although there was a minor scuffle with police at one point.      

Police said they made nine arrests, most for drunkenness.         

Britons remain deeply divided over Thatcher, who died on Monday aged 87, and the debate over her legacy has revived the strong feelings that marked her more than decade-long term in office.        

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 the country's working class.        

The former British Prime Minister will be given a funeral with military honors at Saint Paul's Cathedral next Wednesday.          

Police are bracing for possible trouble along the procession route in central London.       


AP