SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Thousands of marchers closed down a major downtown thoroughfare in San Francisco today in a largely peaceful display of opposition to the Iraq war.

Although some marchers said they had been protesting the war for years, others say they showed up on a sunny afternoon to rally against the war for the first time. Dozens of police on foot and motorcycle blocked traffic and kept an eye on the crowd, which stretched for blocks through the city's financial district.

No arrests were reported by mid-afternoon. A smattering of counter-protesters waving American flags also gathered in what they described as a show of support for U-S troops. In New York, hundreds of peace protesters converged on a park near the United Nations today. They called for the end of funding for the war.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP-NY-03-18-07 1905EDT