WASHINGTON, September 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A group of religious and civil liberties groups called Wednesday, September 4, for mass demonstrations in Washington, San Francisco and across the U.S. on October 26 to protest a U.S. military invasion of Iraq.

Spokesmen for International ANSWER - Act Now to Stop War and End Racism - told a press conference an invasion of Iraq would risk "chaos" in the Middle East.

"Another attack on Iraq would be a crime against peace, an outrageous act of immorality," said Ramsey Clark, former attorney general in the administration of President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s.

"Eighty percent of Iraq's capacity to produce arms and arms of mass destruction were already destroyed," he added.

Clark, a noted peace activist in recent decades, was in Iraq on an unofficial visit last week, saying the U.S.-led Gulf War begun in 1991 has continued unabated.

“You may not see it in the mass media in the United States, but the bombing of Iraq has already started. When we were in Iraq last week, the United States carried out five bombings in five days. Ten civilians were killed in Basra, many more wounded,” he stated.

“The purpose of the bombing campaign is to degrade Iraq’s infrastructure and should also be understood as a type of psychological warfare against the people of Iraq. It is the U.S. government that is guilty of genocide,” noted Clark, stating, “It is imperative that people of this country take action now to stop the government from carrying out limitless violence in their name.”

Clark called for an end to U.N. sanctions against Iraq, which have remained in place since a U.S.-led coalition turned back Iraq's invasion of neighboring Kuwait. "The war against Iraq has been going on for more than 12 years…It has been killing scores of people every day," he said.

Shaimaa Al-Azzawi, of the Muslim Student Association, calling economic sanctions a weapon of mass destruction, said, “The people of Iraq have been deprived of basic medicines and the things necessary to sustain life. This has gone on for twelve long years and it must come to an end.”

Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, attorney and co-founder of the Partnership for Civil Justice and ANSWER member, said that while talking to people on the street in Iraq last week, “we were asked why the government of the United States is doing this and why the people of the United States are allowing this to happen.”

Howard University student Peta Lindsey added assurances, commenting, “From the beginning students have been at the forefront of the movement against war and racism. We understand that the Iraqi people are not our enemies.”

In reference to the October demonstration, Hilliard stated, “We are here to say that the people of the United States will not allow the United States government to carry out this lawless aggression against the people of Iraq. They will be confronted with a massive anti-war movement.”

At the height of the Gulf War in February 1991, Clark and a cameraman made a highly publicized trip across Iraq, dodging allied bombs and missiles to document the effect of war on the population.

ANSWER called on Americans to fill the streets of their cities on October 26, one year to the day after Congress passed the so-called "Patriot Act," a basket of anti-terrorism laws following the September 11 attacks.

The Patriot Act has been criticized by civil liberties organizations.

The group also said supporters would be traveling the United States in search of military bases where the U.S. Army is believed to stock weapons of mass destruction, a spokesman said.

The Washington Post reported plans for the Washington protest include a march to an area of military installation.

The visits are intended to mimic the United Nations' arms inspections of Iraq, where they will ask to inspect the facility for weapons of mass destruction.

The collective includes such organizations as the Free Palestine Alliance, the American Association of Muslim Students and representatives of the African-American community.

ANSWER was one of the main sponsors of the pro-Palestinian protest in Washington on April 20, attracting over 75,000 demonstrators.

Brian Becker, co-director of the International Action Center, asserted, “We believe that the power really is in the people, but the people must act.

“Everything that we have heard from the Bush administration in the mass media is lies designed to prepare the population to accept a war of aggression. Over and over we’re told that opinion polls support the administration, but we don’t believe the polls.