At least 10,000 people protested noisily in central Washington, warning that the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime was just the start of an "endless war" for world domination.

"We're not there (in Iraq) for democracy," said Edward Wolfe, 75. "We're not there for liberation. I honestly think we're there for power."

"This is not about liberation, it's about the occupation of Iraq and the plundering of its natural resources," said Dustin Langley, a volunteer with Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, which organized the protest.

"We're calling to stop this series of endless wars, to stop this occupation of Iraq and the Middle East."

Peace activists demonstrated in some 45 cities and towns across Canada on Saturday in actions ranging from a thousands-strong march to army headquarters in Montreal to an arts festival in the largest city, Toronto.

Five demonstrators were arrested when a 2,000-strong crowd of protesters clashed with military police in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Downtown Mexico City was clogged by 10,000 marchers chanting, "We don't want war, we want peace."

Possibly the biggest European showing was half a million protesters on the streets of Rome, according to organisers, while a similar number turned out across Spain.

In central Washington thousands gathered to blast the US toppling of Iraq's Saddam Hussein as the first in a series of occupation wars.

In London, tens of thousands rallied even as the first British troops were set to pull out of the Gulf.

"It is clear the war is not over," said Andrew Murray, chairman of Britain's Stop the War Coalition. "There are still people being killed and we will also emphasize our opposition to occupation."

In Paris, more than 10,000 rallied behind a banner: "Iraq to the Iraqis."

In Rome, crowds swelled to half a million according to unofficial estimates.

"The war is over in its most obvious form as a classic means of destruction," said Fausto Bertinotti, Secretary-General of Italy's Refounded Communist Party (PRC).

"But it continues as low intensity conflict and a strategic hypothesis of world domination by means of preventive war as conceived by (US President George W.) Bush."

Italian pacifists with banners reading: "Stop Esso war," demonstrated peacefully at gas stations of the American ExxonMobil oil group in protest at it getting a 48 million-dollar contract to supply fuel to US military in Iraq.

One told Italian television: "We're glad the Saddam Hussein regime has fallen, but it wasn't necessary to impose this conflict and this humiliation on the Iraqis."

In Florence, three parties in Italy's government coalition paraded in support of US policy in line with government support for Washington, with banners reading: "The French are cowards."

France has strongly opposed intervention in Iraq.

In Paris, banners read: "Stop the occupation of Iraq" and "Yes to a democratic and independent Iraq." Protesters chanted "US go home!"

"We're very glad to be rid of Saddam, but we don't trust the Americans," said Mazin Yassine from Baghdad: "...We don't want a new dictator."

Three men were arrested for possessing anti-Semitic placards inciting to racial hatred, police said.

In the Spanish city of Barcelona, more than 200,000 people turned out.

They chanted "Aznar resign!" in protest at Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's support for the American line on Iraq despite its rejection by the vast majority of the Spanish public.

Some 200,000 took to the streets of the capital Madrid, organisers said.

Smaller demonstrations involving thousands were held in other cities.

In London protesters held a moment of silence in Parliament Square at the Houses of Parliament.

Organisers said 100,000 rallied against Prime Minister Tony Blair's support for the war, with the crowd chanting "Blair calls it liberation, it looks to us like occupation."

British film director Ken Loach said: "We have to stop the occupation. This is illegal. This is against international law."

Saturday's march was the third held in London in recent weeks over the Iraqi conflict. On February 15, more than one million people took to the streets and on March 22 between 200,000 and 700,000 protested.

In Berlin anti-war protesters carried a banner reading "Peace before occupation" to the Brandenburg Gate, once the symbol of the division of Germany and Europe.

Police put the turnout at some 15,000.

The scene was different in Kuwait City -- invaded by Saddam Hussein's troops in 1990 -- where demonstrators expressed gratitude for the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime.

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