Last week, on the fifth anniversary of American military involvement in Iraq, anti-war rallies were held in various locations around the country. These rallies, inevitably, got short shrift in the mainstream media, which could barely rouse itself from its somnolence to recognize the anniversary. Today seemed like a good day to run photos of the rallies in Washington, D.C. -- the day that the official total of American military deaths in Iraq tops 4,000.

These photos were provided exclusively to ChrisWeigant.com from our intrepid roving photojournalist Eric Varela, who is on assignment in the nation's capital where he attended some of the rallies and demonstrations.

[Apologies in advance if the photos take a while to download. Be patient.]

[Reprinting or posting these photos is allowed, but only with proper credit and only to sites which provide content to the public for free. For reprint and copyright information, please see our Photo Reprint Policy page on ChrisWeigant.com.]

March of the Dead. With the names of dead Iraqi civilians around their necks, they marched around the city from their starting point in Arlington National Cemetery.

Marchers led by the Rude Mechanical Marching Band.

More of the march, and of the band.

George W. Bush as Satan, with sign reading: "All Hail Your Torture President."

More of the march.

Getting arrested at one of the entrances to the Internal Revenue Service, for attempting to block entry to the building in protest of tax money spent on Iraq.

"Stop Paying For Atrocities."

Passive resistance while being arrested. This sit-in was organized by the War Resister's League.

World Can't Wait table. These people staged a waterboarding demonstration in Lafayette Park, across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. They also attempted to wrap the White House fence in crime scene tape, but were rebuffed by police. Their signature Guantanamo-orange colors could also be seen elsewhere in the city throughout the day.

Funk The War (the D.C. Students for a Democratic Society) led a dance party / march that blocked several intersections.

This student-led protest marched to "Pillars of Support" for war (recruiting stations and other institutions funding or profiting from the war), as well as blocking intersections.

People chained to school desks to shut down this intersection.

The crowd was big enough to effectively stop traffic, and was led by a dancing polar bear.

Polar bear doing a sound check of his equipment.

Not Another War had a float of George W. Bush in a Slim Pickens-inspired pose on a bomb.

Cross-posted at The Huffington Post

-- Chris Weigant