US/IRAQ: US movie star Martin Sheen led thousands of people in a rowdy protest march in Los Angeles, on Saturday against President George W. Bush's plans for a possible war with Iraq.
Sheen, who plays a US president on the hit television show "The West Wing," called for Americans to fight for a peaceful approach to the Ïraqi crisis.
"A lot of people have been silenced for a long time but that is ending," he said. "We are telling the world that we are patriotic Americans but we do not support going to war with Iraq".
Police sources said up to 6,000 demonstrators took part in the protest march held in front of government buildings in the city's downtown area, chanting "no blood for oil" and "stop Bush now."
Sheen, a veteran anti-nuclear campaigner who was the main speaker at the rally, has been one of the most vociferous opponents in Hollywood to Washington's policy toward Iraq.
Sheen pushed the wheelchair of celebrated Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic, whose story was featured in the movie "Born on the Fourth of July." The protest was peaceful with performances by musicians including Jackson Browne and Slash from the heavy rock group Guns 'N' Roses.
The demonstration had been billed as the largest anti-war protest in Los Angeles since the Vietnam War with 30,000 people expected, but turnout was lower than organisers hoped. Last month, a group of Hollywood stars including Sheen, Kim Basinger, Matt Damon and Anjelica Huston were among scores of celebrities who called on the administration not to go to war with Iraq. - (AFP)