Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated against the Iraq war over the weekend, in wide-ranging protests that took place in large cities and small towns all over the world. Spain's protests were the largest in Europe, with some estimates putting the number of people taking part at 100,000. In the capital Madrid, protesters waved placards denouncing Pres. Bush and former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar for "war crimes."
In the Turkish city of Istanbul, more than 3,000 took part in protests, carrying signs reading "Bush go home" and "We are all Iraqis." Hundreds also gathered to voice their opposition to the Iraq war in the Spanish cities Seville, Cadiz and Granada as well as the European capital cities Athens, Copenhagen and Rome.
In Washington, DC, tens of thousands braved cold temperatures to march to the Pentagon on Saturday carrying placards denouncing the war. In Los Angeles, thousands demonstrated in anti-war rallies that included the carrying of flag-draped coffins through the streets of Hollywood.
On Sunday, thousands marched through downtown Portland, Oregon; protestors in San Francisco closed Market Street, a major downtown thoroughfare; and in New York City protesters converged in a park near the United Nations headquarters. Other demonstrations were held in smaller cities throughout the country.
In Australia, small actions took place in both Sydney and Melbourne. In Santiago, an estimated 200 people marched from the Salvador metro station to the US Embassy in Las Condes on Saturday. In Canada, demonstrators in Halifax, Montreal, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton denounced the Iraq occupation as well as the Canadian mission in Afghanistan.
On Friday night in Washington, DC police thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service at the Washington National Cathedral and then marched to the White House where police arrested 222 people who refused to obey rules that they keep moving.
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