MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina, Nov. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Tens of thousands of people took to the streets here on Friday to protest against American foreign policy and the US-led war on Iraq.

Students march toward the U.S. embassy in Brasilia during a protest against an upcoming visit by U.S. President George W. Bush Nov. 4. (Reuters)

    The demonstrations, sponsored by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, were held one day after US President George W. Bush arrived in the coastal city to participate in the 4th Summit of the Americas, and hours before the opening ceremony of the Americas-wide presidential summit, which is the highest hemispherical political forum.

    The paraders were joined by anti-Bush celebrities like Nobel Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel of Argentina, and Bolivia's major opposition party leader Evo Morales, both of whom arrived here from Buenos Aires by a chartered train "Alba Express" early in the morning.

    At 7:00 a.m. local time (1000 GMT), the demonstrators began flocking from various directions to a downtown stadium where a mass rally was held.

    Holding Argentine national flags and banners depicting pictures of Chavez, Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and Cuban President Fidel Castro, they shouted slogans like "Stop Bush", "Bush is fascist" and "Long live the Unity of Latin America."

Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona waves as he prepares to sit next to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (L) as they take part in an anti-Bush and anti-free trade agreement rally in Mar del Plata's soccer stadium as the 4th Summit of the Americas begins Nov. 4. (Reuters)

    Morales told reporters that he was "very much impressed by harmony and unity of the peoples of Latin America," saying he would attend the rally designed to voice opposition to the Americas' Summit.

    Diego Armando Maradona, a well-known Argentine soccer legend, went to the mass rally directly after arriving here by "Alba Express".

    Some political groups and non-government organizations from Brazil and Cuba also participated in the parade, which was hailed by local residents. Except the Independencia Avenue, a major street in Mar del Plata leading to the mass rally place, other parts of the city are relatively quiet.

    J.O. Alamo, a police officer responsible for security affairs in Mar del Plata, told Xinhua that the authorities have made a full preparation for the registered mass rally. "Security here is absolutely guaranteed," he said.

    Some 40,000 people were said to have taken part in the demonstrations, according to the police.

    About 7,000 police officers were reportedly deployed inside and outside the Summit site. To ensure security, the police have erected at least three security rings on the way to the conference center. Coast guard boats and helicopters are patrolling the shore, while air space is restricted. Enditem