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Washington DC - An estimated 100,000 people attended a rally this pats Saturday surrounding the US Capitol to protest President Bush’s escalation strategy in Iraq and call for an end to hostilities with Iran. While the threat of war with Iran was not an official component of the rally sponsored by United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), thousands of demonstrators chanted for the prevention of conflict with Iran and carried signs and banners calling for “Stop the War on Iran.”

The Campaign against Sanctions and Military Intervention on Iran (CASMII) carried banners and signs opposing war with Iran.

Among the speakers at the event were several Members of Congress, including Reps. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Maxine Watters (D-CA), the coauthors of legislation that would institute a phased withdrawal from Iraq over six months. Speakers also included war veterans, religious heads, and Hollywood celebrities.

The majority of speakers at the rally fiercely criticized President Bush’s plan to address the sectarian violence in Iraq by escalating troop levels there by an additional 21,500.

Several speakers referenced the need for the President to pay closer attention to the bipartisan Iraq Study Group’s (ISG) recommendations. The ISG report urges direct talks between the US and Iran and Syria in order to stabilize conditions in Iraq.

About 40 people participated in a counter-protest nearby the Senate office buildings and expressed their backing for the operation in Iraq.

Building on the march’s momentum, UFPJ sponsored a lobby day on Congress on Monday, January 29. On the previous day, a National Iranian American Council (NIAC) representative was invited to lead a workshop on Iran and to help provide information and education concerning opportunities to resolve the US-Iran stand-off peacefully for the 1,000 estimated people who planned to visit their congressional representatives.