Tens of Thousands March in Hollywood Against Iraq War

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, February 17, 2003

Tens of Thousands March in Hollywood Against Iraq War

Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters on Saturday filled the famous Hollywood Boulevard in the second largest city of Los Angeles to demonstrate against a possible US-led war with Iraq.

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Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters on Saturday filled the famous Hollywood Boulevard in the second largest city of Los Angeles to demonstrate against a possible US-led war with Iraq.

Protest organizers put the number of protesters at 30,000. The march was monitored by about 300 police officers, but no arrests had been made through mid-afternoon.

The mostly young crowd included people promoting a variety of causes linked to peace effort. Some wore T-shirts bearing the words "Free Palestine!" and a group of nurses waved signs demanding "Health Care Not Warfare."

Anti-war activist actors Martin Sheen and Mike Farrell, as well as director Rob Reiner were among the chanting marchers who voiced their opposition to the US government's recent moves toward launching a military strike at Iraq.

Sheen, who plays the US president on NBC's political drama "The West Wing," said the protesters were "doing the only thing we can to face this horrific crisis -- to share our strength and our weaknesses."

"None of us can stop this war ... there is only one guy that can do that and he lives in the White House," Sheen said.

Asked what he would say to the people of Iraq facing a possible attack, Sheen said: "Just hang on. You're not alone on this. It's not over yet."

Actress Wendie Malick of NBC's "Just Shoot Me" said she was glad to use her celebrity for a worthy cause.

"At a time like this, you're especially grateful to use your celebrity for something of depth ... and something instead of when my next show is going to be on television," she said as nearby demonstrators chanted "Impeach Bush!" and "Peace Now!"

Frances Ferris, 77, holding a placard saying "Wake Up, America," said that future generations would have to pay a price for the possible war with Iraq. "My grandchildren are going to be paying taxes on this for a lot of years," she said.

Jim Lafferty, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, said he coordinated national anti-war protests during the Vietnam War but noted the current efforts surpassed those demonstrations.

"This is unprecedented," he said of the current anti-war movement. "It's sooner, it's bigger, it's more diverse, and it's more worldwide."

Other major demonstrations were held in New York and London. In California, some planned protests included a spiritual gathering on the beach in Santa Monica and a rally outside a San Diego naval station. A march was scheduled for Sunday in San Francisco.

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