SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 26: Thousands of people from across California marched through the city’s streets Saturday calling for US troops to leave Iraq.

The organizers claimed it to be the largest anti-war protest in San Francisco since the war in Iraq officially ended months ago.

About 20,000 demonstrators, in a peaceful procession of sign- waving, marched through the downtown streets causing traffic jams.

Saturday’s rally coincided with a larger demonstration in Washington, DC. Organizers said that also was the largest rally since the Bush administration declared an end to major combat in Iraq on May 1. Since Bush’s announcement, over 100 US soldiers have been killed, more than were killed during the invasion, as well as an unknown number of Iraqis.

The anti-war movement is gaining new strength said Richard Becker, a member of the steering committee for International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), one of the organizers of the day’s event.