NEW YORK — As the deadline for the war on Iraq drew closer Wednesday, some 300 people demonstrated in Manhattan against a U.S. invasion and called on others to leave work and school to increase the voice of protest.
"I came because I have a feeling of helplessness that war is inevitable," said Robert Packer, 39, of Manhattan. "I couldn't let it happen without feeling I was doing something."
As several dozen police officers looked on, the demonstrators, holding up signs that read "Drop Bush Not Bombs" and "Money for Jobs not War," gathered for a rally in Union Square. They planned to march to Times Square, arriving in time for the evening rush hour.
"We support the troops, and the best way to support them is to bring them home," said Richard Martinez, 61, of Manhattan.
The demonstration was organized by the ANSWER coalition — Act Now to Stop War and End Racism — which also held a protest in Union Square on Tuesday. It has vowed to demonstrate daily.
President Bush has given Saddam Hussein an ultimatum to leave Iraq by 8 p.m. EST Wednesday or face war. Aides said war wouldn't automatically start the moment the deadline expires but that Bush would rely on the advice of his military commanders.
"I think the protests are going to escalate once this unfortunate war starts," ANSWER spokesman Larry Holmes has said.
The group is urging Americans to walk out of work, and children to leave their classrooms in protest.
Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who has been outspoken against war and has met with Saddam, said Tuesday that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should resign or be impeached for committing crimes against peace.
"We should stand up, walk out and stop this country in its tracks," Clark said. "We have the opportunity to be the greatest hope for peace on earth, and we're the greatest threat to it."
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