Photo taken from Al Mayadeen.

A strong demand for an end to militarism and the policy of sanctions 

filled the streets of 

Washington DC

on Monday , where 

thousands of people gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

From the White House to the writing of the 

Washington Post newspaper,

the protesters carried 

coffins wrapped in the flags of the countries invaded 

in these two decades of intense warmongering.

They also demanded 

an end to the situation in Ukraine,

 instigated by the United States to expand its power in Europe.

They asked their government to 

cut the military budget and stop the delivery of weapons to Kiev,

 in addition to 

withdrawing sanctions on Syria and other nations affected by its hostile policy.

Among the slogans and posters, phrases 

against the racist apartheid of "Israel" and in favor of an understanding with China stood out

, to avoid a new escalation of aggressions.

Other banners read: 

"Feed the people, not the Pentagon."

 "Dissolve NATO", and "

Remember Iraq. No more wars based on lies!".

The purpose of the demonstration, its organizers told the local press, was 

to warn people of the threat of global war and to raise awareness of the human and financial cost of militarism

, at home and abroad.

They mourned the 

deaths of millions of people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Palestine and Yemen

 and called on US officials to focus on scaling up health care, housing, living wages and climate justice, not war.

media complicit in war

The denunciations of this day also covered the 

complicity of corporate media such as 

CNN, NBC and ABC

, described as echo chambers for the Pentagon

by the journalist and young lawyer Chuk Modi on his Twitter account.

The US war against Iraq, which began in March 2003, was supported by this type of press on false accusations about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in the Arab country, then led by Saddam Hussein.

Even without definitive figures, it is estimated that 

that invasion claimed the lives of more than three million civilians,

 and 20 years later 

children are still being born with malformations as a result of the use of dirty weapons by the United States military,

 including white phosphorus and depleted uranium.

(Taken from Al Mayadeen)