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08/13/2004:

"Thousands of Iranians Protest U.S. Actions in Iraq"

Reuters
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Thousands of Iranians marched through the streets of Tehran on Friday to protest U.S. military actions in Iraq after a senior hardline cleric praised the resistance of Shi'ite Muslim rebels in Najaf.

Chanting ``Death to America'' and burning U.S. flags, the protesters flooded streets in central Tehran carrying banners proclaiming: ``Death to the occupiers'' and ``American democracy - massacre of innocent people.'' Similar state-sponsored rallies were planned across the country.

Shi'ite Muslim Iran has consistently called for U.S.-led forces to leave Iraq and expressed outrage at the presence of multinational forces in holy Shi'ite cities Najaf and Kerbala.

``They (Americans) want to fully eliminate Islamic groups from the Iraqi scene and give power to a laic group who are U.S. agents,'' Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati told worshippers at Friday Prayers in Tehran before the protest march started.

``I must appreciate those who are resisting around the holy shrine (of Imam Ali in Najaf) against the bloodthirsty wolves,'' he said. full article