MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (AFX) - Thousands of protesters staged an angry demonstration here today against the presence of US President George W. Bush at the 34-nation Summit of the Americas.

Supported by the presence of Nobel Peace Prize holder Adolfo Perez Esquivel, the populist frontrunner in Bolivia's presidential race, Evo Morales, and Argentine footballer Diego Maradona, protestors were kept outside an exclusion zone around the summit venue by riot police.

'Bush, facist, you are a terrorist!' protestors shouted under rainy skies, as they packed streets around the summit, where the US president is hoping to revive interest in a Free Trade Area of the Americas pact.

Organizers say that up to 40,000 protestors, including anti-globalisation demonstrators, will take to the streets here today to voice their opposition to Bush and the summit.

A special train brought Maradona and hundreds of other protesters from Buenos Aires for the event during the night.

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