Chanting "bring our troops home," tens of thousands of anti-war protesters rallied in the US capital yesterday to pressure the government to get out of Iraq.
Veterans and military families joined some lawmakers, peace groups and actors including Vietnam war protester Jane Fonda to urge Congress and President George W Bush to stop funding the war and pull troops from Iraq.
"When I served in the war, I thought I was serving honorably. Instead, I was sent to war ... for causes that have proved fraudulent," said Iraq war veteran Garett Reppenhagen. "We need to put pressure on our elected government and force them to ... bring the troops home," the former sniper said to cheers from a sign-waving crowd.
Tens of thousands of people attended the rally on the National Mall, according to a park police officer. For more than two hours, speakers atop a stage that also held a flag-draped coffin criticized Bush and the US presence in Iraq before protesters marched around the Capitol.
In the crowd, a group of families of soldiers killed in Iraq held pictures of their loved ones, including one photo of a soldier in full dress uniform lying in a coffin. More than 3,000 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The protest was one of several held around the United States.
In California, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where several dozen people carried flag-draped, mock coffins. Protesters also planned coordinated efforts in Washington and across the country over the next week to lobby lawmakers to take action against the war.
Mr Bush's approval ratings have dropped to some of the weakest of his presidency and polls show a majority of Americans disapprove of his plan to send another 21,500 troops to Iraq.
But Mr Bush said he has no intention of backing off his plan. Asked about the protests, White House national security adviser spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Mr Bush "understands that Americans want to see a conclusion to the war in Iraq and the new strategy is designed to do just that."
The demonstrations come amid growing efforts by lawmakers to protest Bush's plans in Iraq. The Senate Foreign Relations committee passed a resolution on Wednesday opposing the plan to send more troops.
Protesters are trying to send Bush and Congress a message that Americans do not support the war.
Actress Jane Fonda, who was criticized for her opposition to the Vietnam War, drew huge cheers when she addressed the crowd. She noted that she had not spoken at an anti-war rally in 34 years. "Silence is no longer an option," she said. "I'm so sad we have to do this - that we did not learn from the lessons of the Vietnam War."