Thousands of anti-war demonstrators - joined by fictional president Martin Sheen and activist actress Susan Sarandon - crowded Central Park yesterday to protest any American-led military strike on Iraq. For more than four hours, protesters filled the East Meadow to question why the U.S. should use force to oust Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein ( news - web sites) - and to rail against the American worldwide offensive against terrorism.
Organizers estimated the crowd at 20,000, while authorities at the scene put it closer to 10,000. Whatever the number, it appeared to be the largest anti-war protest in the city since the 1991 Persian Gulf War ( news - web sites).
"People are here to send a message to the planet that people in the U.S. stand with them, not against them," said rally organizer Mary Lou Greenberg. "George Bush does not speak or act for us in our name."
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