The organisers, an umbrella group of construction unions, had said they expected as many as 50,000 people, but police put the final turnout at between

Among those taking part were army veterans, police officers and firefighters, as well as members of victims families from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

"We are sending a message to the world that if you attack one of us you attack all of us, and we'll attack back," Pat Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association told the flag-waving crowds.

While support for the war nationwide has been running at around 70 percent, it has been far lower in New York, where polls have rarely put the level of approval higher than 37 percent.

However, the latest poll released by Quinnipiac University on Thursday showed those numbers had changed, with 50 percent of city residents now saying they support the war.

The organisers of the rally said they had chosen the Ground Zero site to reflect the belief of many Americans that Saddam Hussein had close links with the kind of terrorist groups that carried out the September 11 attacks.

"This is sort of like a sense of closing for the people that were lost here," said construction worker Mike Collarone.

"We're here to show our support for all the girls and boys of all races, colors and creeds that fought in this war for us," he said.

Sehila Macias, the wife of a US Marine currently in Iraq, told the rally that her husband and the rest of the troops were looking to support from home.

"They need to see and know that we are behind them all the way and that we are extremely proud of them and the sacrifices they have made," Macias said.

SPACE.WIRE