Bennet was among hundreds of people gathered on the south bank of the River Thames, where the "Alternative State Procession" kicked off a day of opposition on the streets to the US-led war in Iraq, and Britain's participation in it.
Security concerns meant Bush himself missed out on the traditional open-carriage parade along the Mall by Buckingham Palace, where hundreds of protesters massed at nightfall.
Police were out in force to ensure they did not breach a cordon in front of the Queen's central London home, where Bush was spending the second of three nights in Britain.
George W Bush acknowledged protests against his visit joking that some might have wanted to see him locked in a box, like the American magician David Blaine.
In the keynote address of his three-day visit, Bush quipped: "It was pointed out to me that the last noted American to visit London stayed in a glass box dangling over the Thames.
"A few might have been happy to provide similar arrangements for me. I thank Her Majesty the Queen for interceding. We are honoured to be staying at her house."
Blaine starved himself in a transparent box suspended from a crane on the banks of the Thames for 44 days this year in a stunt that became a tourist attraction.
Bush, meanwhile, is staying at Buckingham Palace.
"I notice the tradition of free speech exercised with enthusiasm is alive and well here in London," Bush said, to loud laughter. "We have that at home too. They now have that right in Baghdad as well."
Kate, from Devon, over 100 miles away, said she too planned to stay all night.
"Bush should go. He causes destruction. He destroys property, people, the environment. He is a global menace."
It was mostly a frustrating day for protesters, who tried in vain to catch a glimpse of Bush as security men whisked him from one engagement to the next.
Police announced 22 arrests, all for minor offences.
Across town, the cavalcade rumbled away, led by a horse-drawn carriage carrying the celebrity lookalikes. Behind the coach was an 18-foot-long inflatable Trident missile and a pink "peace and love tank", driven by a young boy.
Police estimated the number of demonstrators in the parade at 350, although organisers said the turnout was higher.
A black London cab represented "taxi drivers against the war", and a red London bus advertised its route as London-Baghdad. Some dressed as UN weapons inspectors; others poured red dye into the water of a Trafalgar Square fountain to represent blood spilt in Iraq.
"This is really street theatre symbolising all the different elements of the peace movement," said Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition, one of the organisers.
Airline worker Dawn Totten, 50, said she had flown from her home in the United States to join the protest. "I came all the way from San Francisco because demonstrations go unrecognised and unreported there."
Her message for Bush? "I'd like to tell him to stay here."
- REUTERS
Full text: President Bush's speech at Whitehall Palace
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