Outside the assembly, thousands of protesters rallied against the ongoing war in Iraq and called for an end to all wars. Seventeen activists were arrested for civil disobedience after they tried to deliver President Bush an indictment charging him with crimes against humanity.

• Unidentified protester: “I’m protesting the war in Iraq, the potential war in Iran which I certainly don’t want, the need for peace, the need for dialogue and not to resort to war as a way of solving problems.”