CHICAGO, March 19: The third anniversary of the US-led war in Iraq drew tens of thousands of protesters in at least two dozen cities around the globe with many chanting “Stop the War” and calling for the withdrawal of troops. More than 7,000 people marched through downtown Chicago on Saturday in one of the nation’s largest protests, saying the war diverts money from domestic needs and demanding the US pull out of Iraq.

“I’m against this war, I’m against the torture,” said protester Martha Conrad, 54. “We’re doing this for the people of Iraq.”

Many of the weekend demonstrations in Australia, Asia and Europe drew smaller-than-anticipated crowds. In London, police said 15,000 people joined a march on Saturday from Parliament and Big Ben to a rally in Trafalgar Square. The anniversary last year attracted 45,000 protesters in the city.

In Japan, anti-war rallies stretched into a second day on Sunday, with about 800 protesters chanting “No war! Stop the war!” and banging drums as they marched peacefully through downtown Tokyo toward the US Embassy. A day earlier, about 2,000 rallied in the city.

“The Iraq war was President Bush’s big mistake and the whole world is against him,” said organizer Ayako Nishimura. “Iraq must decide its own affairs.”

Elsewhere on Sunday, anti-war protesters demonstrated outside the US Embassy in Malaysia and at least 1,000 people turned out in Seoul, which has the third-largest contingent of foreign troops in Iraq.—AP