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Hundreds of thousands protest war

Demonstrators take to streets in U.S., worldwide

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Protesters square off with police during an antiwar march Friday in downtown San Francisco.

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Protests continue across the United States on the second day of coalition strikes against Iraq. CNN's Maria Hinojosa reports.
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SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- Day two of coalition strikes against Iraq brought hundreds of thousands of antiwar protesters to the streets around the world Friday.

In the United States, large demonstrations swept through the cities of San Francisco, New York, Washington and Chicago.

San Francisco police arrested at least 200 people by Friday evening, after more than 1,400 protesters were arrested Thursday. Most were cited for misdemeanors and released.

Dozens of demonstrators blocked the entrance to the Bechtel building in the city's financial district. Police spokesman Dewayne Tully said police set up a mass booking facility to process people taken into custody.

The second day of war protests and civil disobedience in San Francisco was called for by the group Direct Action to Stop the War.

In New York, protesters prayed quietly for peace outside the offices of Sen. Charles Schumer.

Minutes after U.S. and coalition forces began an intense aerial bombardment of Baghdad, the diverse group of New Yorkers carried a papier-mache Jesus as they marched past the senator's office to speak out against Congress' support of the war.

Early Friday afternoon in Washington, a group of several hundred protesters gathered on H Street in front of Lafayette Square in what they called a "funeral" for the innocent Iraqis who could die during the bombing campaign.

About 40 of them ran out and lay down on H Street. Nearby, other intersections were shut down.

Some were dressed in bandages and red paint, in an attempt to resemble war casualties. Toy babies, splattered with blood, and coffins were spread over the street.

Police surrounded protesters and warned them to leave in minutes. Many didn't, and at least 24 people were arrested, including six high school students. The demonstration was organized by the group Code Pink -- the Women's Pre-emptive Strike for Peace.

At least 500 arrested in Chicago

Hundreds of people surrounded a federal office building Friday in Chicago, lying in the street to block traffic. The city saw a massive demonstration of as many as 10,000 protesters Thursday. The participants marched down Lake Shore Drive, forcing authorities to close parts of it.

At least 500 people were arrested.

In one demonstration Thursday in San Francisco, a disturbance broke out when a protester tried to grab a police officer's gun. One officer was injured in the scuffle and possibly has a broken leg, Tully said.

Video footage from local television stations showed a man who managed to drive his minivan into a pedestrian-clogged intersection getting beaten by several protesters. His vehicle was then looted.

Protests around the world

In Spain, protesters against the war demonstrated for a second day in Madrid.

Thousands of protesters marched from the U.S. Embassy toward the headquarters of Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's ruling conservative party, where police fired rubber bullets and charged at the crowd to keep it away from the building.

Aznar has supported the U.S.-led coalition's military action against Iraq.

Thousands of riot police moved from street to street Friday in Cairo, Egypt, racing against a wave of angry antiwar protesters headed to the U.S. Embassy and the Arab League headquarters.

Police cordoned off most of central downtown and a four-block area around the embassy, turning the main centers of the usually bustling Egyptian city into a virtual ghost town.

Police in Yemen's capital, San'a, fired on antiwar protesters Friday, killing four, witnesses said.

The police began shooting after tear gas failed to disperse a crowd of about 2,000 people who gathered after Friday prayers to demonstrate against the war. Demonstrators had gathered around the U.S. Embassy in San'.

In Amman, Jordan, police used tear gas against more than 10,000 people demonstrating against the war in a rally led by the Muslim Brotherhood. The group pledged to fight the United States and support the war in Iraq.

Protests also were reported in Beirut, Lebanon, where crowds gathered in front of the Kuwaiti, Qatari, U.S., and British embassies.

From the West Bank in Gaza, television coverage showed thousands of Palestinians, including numerous political figures, demonstrating in support of the Iraqi people.

Bahrain, which offered Wednesday to give Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein asylum, saw violent clashes Friday between police and demonstrators who gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in Manama.

-- CNN correspondents Sandy Petrykowski, Caroline Faraj, Al Goodman and Gary Tuchman contributed to this report, as did San Francisco bureau chief Bonnie Gannon, and producers Beth Lewandowski and Rose Arce.


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