Tens of thousands of Muslims demonstrated Thursday in Thailand's largest protest against the war in Iraq, denouncing U.S. President George W. Bush as "Satan."
The slogan-shouting protesters gathered in front of the city hall in the southern town of Pattani, where a mass prayer was held for world peace followed by speeches by Islamic preachers and community leaders.
"I think what Bush is doing is equal to Satan's work. Why can't he find a better way to stop a problem," said Waetalee Waebuyi, a 21-year-old student.
Scores of people lined up to donate blood for Iraqi war victims.
About 5,000 protesters earlier held traditional prayers in Pattani's biggest mosque and marched to the city hall to join the others already gathered there.
They chanted "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is great" and waved banners, some of which read: "Stop killing Iraqi civilians," "Let's join forces to expel Satanic America" and "Hell Waiting." Hundreds of police walked alongside to prevent trouble.
Organizers said the protesters were from Pattani and its three neighboring provinces, which are mostly Muslim. Police put the number of demonstrators at about 30,000.
Muslims comprise 4 percent of Thailand's 64 million people, who are predominantly Buddhist. But they are a majority in the four southern provinces bordering mostly-Muslim Malaysia.
A similar protest in the southern city of Songkhla on March 26 drew about 10,000 people. Pattani and Songkhla are about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of Bangkok.
The protesters also called for a boycott of American consumer goods, and police said an outlet of Kentucky Fried Chicken closed Thursday as a precaution.
The protesters burned an effigy of Bush in a symbolic recreation of hell.
Waetalee, the student, said he wasn't initially interested in joining the protest march.
"I thought it was useless, but after I ... saw the pictures of women and children killed in the war I changed my mind and decided to help other Muslims," said Waetalee, holding a placard that read "God will punish those who do wrong."
The marchers were predominantly men with a sprinkling of women dressed in long Islamic garb that covered their heads and limbs.
The Thai government, a traditional U.S. ally, has taken a neutral stance on the conflict. Before combat started, it expressed hope that Washington's grievances with Iraq could be settled peacefully through the United Nations.
"I was mortified when I learned about the consequences of this war," said Sommai Se Ali, a civil servant who took the day off to take part in the protest. "It is very bad to see your brothers and sisters in pain. This must be stopped. America must stop the war."