"Bring the troops home now and stop funding the war," demonstrators shouted during their anti-war march on Saturday, seeking to drive home the message that U.S. President George W. Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq is an "absolute mistake."

The march, which drew some 3,000 people, began at noon outside the headquarters of the California Democratic Party in downtown Los Angeles, a specially chosen location, as the anti-war activists wanted to send the Democrats-controlled U.S. Congress a message that those congressmen have the obligation and duty to represent the mass opinions.

"We want those politicians to know that they got voted into office because they are expected to end the war in Iraq," said Danielle Heck of the "January 27 Action Coalition," the umbrella organization behind the march, which includes about 100 groups from around the South California.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan also showed up. The California mother became internationally famous for her extended demonstration at a peace camp outside Bush's Texas ranch after her son, a U.S. soldier, was killed in Iraq.

"The president is irrelevant and he needs to be stopped, and Congress are the only people that can stop him," said Sheehan, who was in black T-shirt reading "Iraq Veterans Against The War."

Treated somewhat like a Hollywood celebrity as she was mobbed by autograph seekers and fans, Sheehan stood together with 15 Iraq veterans who wore the same T-shirt as she did.

Walking along with other demonstrators chanting anti-war slogans, singing such folk songs as "Blowing in the Wind" and carrying mock coffins draped in the U.S. national flag, the mother seemed to be overwhelmed by a strong desire for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. More than 3,000 U.S. soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq since the war began.

During the march, Sheehan pushed the wheelchair of Ron Kovic, author of "Born on the Fourth of July," a U.S. bestseller which was later adapted into a film starred by Tom Cruise.

"This is the beginning of one of the most powerful peace movements in the history of our country," said Kovic, a wounded Vietnam veteran.

"In cities and towns all over America today, citizens from every walk of life (and) from every background have made the decision to show President Bush what democracy really looks like."

The Los Angeles protest was part of the national anti-war mass rallies on the same day. In many other cities including Washington and San Francisco, tens of thousands of people marched, demanding U.S. troops' withdrawal from Iraq amid growing efforts by lawmakers to protest Bush's plan in Iraq.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday passed a resolution opposing Bush's plan to send more soldiers to Iraq.

Source: Xinhua