October 26, 2003	Sunday	Sha’aban 29, 1424

WASHINGTON, Oct 25: Some 20,000 protestors rallied here on Saturday, shouting their opposition to US presence in Iraq, demanding troops be brought home and labelling President George W. Bush a “liar.”

The biggest anti-war protest since the fall of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in April came amid mounting domestic concern over the growing toll on US troops in Iraq and the financial cost.

More than 100 US troops have been killed in combat incidents since President George W. Bush declared on May 1 that “major combat” was over.

Among the protestors to take the microphone in the peaceful rally on the Mall, near the White House, were Democratic presidential contender Al Sharpton and former US attorney general Ramsey Clark.

“We were right when we were saying Bush was misleading the population,” Sharpton said. “We are right now. We want to stop the misuse of American lives in Iraq.”

Clark, a fervent peace activist since he served under President Lyndon Johnson 1967-1969, demanded Bush be impeached, saying the president “has made us international outlaws.

“We have to work from this day until next Spring to do everything we can to convince the House of Representatives to impeach George Bush,” Clark told the cheering crowd.

“The American people are viewed around the world as supporting George Bush’s policies and they will be until he is removed from office,” said Clark, calling the president’s policies “the greatest threat to peace and security.”

Reuters said Demonstrators from more than 145 US cities poured into Washington for the first major peace protest since President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat in the war on Iraq.

And demonstrators virulently criticised the Bush administration over the war and the US-led occupation since.

“We don’t need any more deaths,” said speaker Fernando de Solar Suarez, whose son Jesus was a marine killed in the occupation.

“President Bush — wrongly called president — has lied to the entire world about this war.”

Crowds braved autumn cold under sunny skies, carrying signs in English, Spanish, Arabic, Hebrew and Korean: “Bush lied;” “Bush is looting the future;” “No war for empire.”

Michael McPherson, a war veteran whose former combat unit served in Iraq, said Bush “misled our nation and our soldiers.

“No weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq,” he said. “The Iraqi regime was not Al Qaeda, Saddam (Hussein) was not Osama bin Laden.

“Stop telling us lies,” he said, addressing Bush. “Unlike you, our soldiers are serving their country with distinction.”

The demonstration was organized by ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), which brought together some 600 groups. Another demonstration was planned in San Francisco later in the day.

According to a Pew Research Center survey released Tuesday, 39 percent of US people support the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq as soon as possible, up from 32 percent answering the same question in September.

A similar rally and protest were also planned for San Francisco.

Guerrillas fighting the US-led occupation have killed 108 US soldiers since May 1, when Bush declared major combat in Iraq over. Peace activists said increasing concerns about casualties in Iraq have spurred the US anti-war movement back into action after months of relative quiet.

“We will see ... the largest number of people since May 1 coming back into the streets to say no to the Iraq occupation and no to the Bush administration’s foreign policy,” Brian Becker, a spokesman for organizing group International ANSWER, said.

Polls indicate Bush’s approval rating has steadily declined since May, when it was around 80 percent. According to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released this month, 56 percent of Americans surveyed approved of the way Bush was doing his job.

Organizers said they expected at least 200 busloads of people. Previous protests organized by ANSWER, a coalition of groups that banded together to oppose the war, have drawn thousands to the nation’s capital.

Nancy Lessin, who heads the group “Military Families Speak Out,” said her organization also planned to join several other military and veterans groups on Saturday.

Becker said members of the US military were expected at Saturday’s protests, although he said they would not be in uniform.

A counterdemonstration was also planned for Saturday by the D.C. chapter of “Free Republic,” which said it would hold a “support our troops” rally with members of the Iraqi exile community on the other side of the National Mall.—Reuters/AFP