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Protesters march on Capitol Hill against war in Iraq

An anti-war protester is apprehended by Capitol police officers in front of Capitol Hill on Saturday in Washington. Anti-war protesters first gathered for a rally near the White House and then marched to the Capitol. PHOTO: AFP

Several thousand anti-war demonstrators marched through downtown Washington, clashing with police at the foot of the Capitol steps where more than 190 protesters were arrested.

The group marched from the White House to the Capitol on Saturday to demand an end to the Iraq War. Their numbers stretched for blocks along Pennsylvania Avenue, and they held banners and signs and chanted: "What do we want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now."

Army veteran Justin Cliburn, 25, was among a contingent of Iraq veterans in attendance.

"We're occupying a people who do not want us there," Cliburn said. "We're here to show that it isn't just a bunch of old hippies from the 60s who are against this war."

Counterprotesters lined the sidewalks behind metal barricades. There were some heated shouting matches between the two sides.

The arrests came after protesters lay down on the Capitol lawn in what they called a "die in" -- with signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers killed in Iraq. When police took no action, some of the protesters started climbing over a barricade at the foot of the Capitol steps.

Many were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over the waist-high barrier. But some grew angry as police with shields and riot gear attempted to push them back. At least two people were showered with chemical spray.

Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."

The number of arrests by Capitol Police on Saturday was much higher than previous anti-war rallies in Washington this year. Five people were arrested at a protest outside the Pentagon in March.

And at a rally in January, about 50 demonstrators blocked a street near the Capitol, but they were dispersed without arrests.

The protesters gathered earlier on Saturday near the White House in Lafayette Park with signs saying "End the war now" and calling for US President George W. Bush's impeachment. The rally was organized by the ANSWER Coalition and other groups.

Organizers estimated that nearly 100,000 people attended the rally and march. That number could not be confirmed; police did not give their own estimate. A permit for the march obtained in advance by the ANSWER Coalition had projected 10,000.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan called on the US to be assertive.

"It's time to lay our bodies on the line and say we've had enough," she said.

See:
Sadrists resign from Iraqi parliament

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