By Xinhua
New York : Thousands of protestors took to the streets along Broadway in Manhattan to demand an end to the Iraq war and prevent another on Iran.
Organised by the United for Peace and Justice coalition, the protestors braved rain Saturday to march from Union Square to Foley Square, chanting slogans like “What do we want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!”
Despite the rain, organisers said up to 45,000 people, including war veterans, military families, labour activists, community leaders, and students, turned out to demand an immediate end to the Iraq war, and to call on the government to avoid another war on Iran.
“This war must end. It must end now,” said Leslie Cagan, national coordinator for United for Peace and Justice. “Not one more dollar, not one more death.”
Cagan accused the government of pursing a foreign policy “based on war and militarism”, demanding one “based on respect to the people that we share this planet with”.
“It is time to turn this country around,” she said. Saturday marked the five-year anniversary of the US Senate vote that authorised President George W. Bush to invade Iraq.
The march ended with a “peace fair” on Foley Square, during which a two-minute silence was observed to honour those who lost their lives in the war.
Similar protests were also held in 10 other US cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Boston, and Philadelphia.