The balcony of the US Consulate in Auckland is littered with old shoes.

Anti-war demonstrators, marking seven years since the invasion of Iraq, threw them at the consulate building in downtown Auckland early this afternoon.

Mike Treen, spokesman for protest group Global Peace and Justice, says the shoes are a symbol of opposition to US policies in Iraq. He says that was demonstrated when a journalist threw his shoe at then US President George W Bush.

The group Mr Treen represents is demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of international troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, including the New Zealand SAS.