As part of the 2004 Republican National Convention protests , United for Peace and Justice organized a mass march , one of the largest in U.S. history , in which protesters marched past Madison Square Garden , the site of the convention . The march included hundreds of separate contingents as well as individual marchers . The group One Thousand Coffins held a procession of one thousand full-scale flag-draped cardboard coffins , commemorating each of the U.S. fallen troops as of that date , carried by a nationwide coalition of citizens , veterans , clergy and families of the fallen . Several hundred members of Billionaires for Bush held a mock countermarch . Estimates of crowd size ranged from 120,000 ( unnamed police spokesman ) to over 500,000 ( organizers , second unnamed police source ) . In March , 2007 NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne stated about the RNC protests : " You certainly had 800,000 on August 29th . " Organizers held a pre-march press conference in front of thousands on 7th Avenue . Several people spoke in opposition to the war in Iraq and Bush administration policies including Michael Moore , Jesse Jackson , Congressman Charles Rangel , and a father who had lost his son in Iraq . The whole event lasted six hours , with the lead contingent finishing the march long before thousands of people could even move from the starting point . The City government , under Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg , had earlier denied the protesters a permit to hold a rally in Central Park following the march , citing concern for the park 's grass . The West Side Highway was offered instead , but organizers refused , citing exorbitant costs for the extra sound equipment and problems for the location . Organizers encouraged people to go to Central Park following the march 's conclusion in Union Square . Disturbances were minor . New York Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly reported about 200 arrests with 9 felonies — most of them occurring after the march had concluded
2004 Republican National Convention
2004 Republican National Convention
Protests against the Iraq War