WASHINGTON, June 5: Thousands of people gathered at a park near the White House on Sunday to demand the return of US troops from Iraq.

Shouting slogans against the war and demanding an "end to foreign occupation" in Iraq, Haiti and Palestine, protesters marched towards the residence of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in downtown Washington.

Organizers said larger demonstrations were also held Sunday in Los Angles and San Francisco.

"America does not endorse the policies of the Bush administration in Iraq. We should bring the troops home and end the occupation in Iraq, Haiti and Palestine," said one of the organizers, Caneisha Mills.

"Bush and Rumsfeld - Guilty of War Crimes," protestors shouted as they started the march from the Lafayette Park outside the White House.

The 'Speak Truth to Power' march "reflects the grassroots voices of those who have suffered and are suffering because of the Bush administration's war in Iraq, Palestine, Haiti and right here against working people in the United States," said Ms Mills.

Organizers said their rally featured the voices of the mothers and fathers of soldiers who oppose the war, those in the Muslim and Arab communities, whose families have been ripped apart through raids, detentions, and secret hearings.

"We also reflect the voice of "the embattled Palestinian people who are having their children shot and homes razed as the US-backed violence escalates," the organizers said.