Enlarge Saul McSween, AFP/Getty Images Actor George Clooney signs autographs as he arrives to address the rally on the National Mall. Celebrities, activists rally against Darfur genocide WASHINGTON  A crowd of thousands joined human rights activists, movie stars, athletes and politicians in front of the U.S. Capitol Sunday to press for political support to end genocide in Sudan's southern Darfur region. "Paralysis in the face of genocide is wrong," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told the crowd. He urged demonstrators to call on political leaders to put pressure on all sides to end the killing in Darfur. The rally drew actor George Clooney, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, Olympic speedskating champion Joey Cheek and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California. Clooney told the crowd it was critical to keep up public pressure "until this travesty (against refugees) is ended." "If we turn our heads and look away and hope they will disappear, then they will," he said. Rebels in Darfur, made up largely of Muslims from several non-Arab tribes, resisted what they saw as neglect by the Arab-dominated central government. Militias, drawn from Arab tribes, tried to crush the rebellion. The conflict has killed at least 180,000 people and left about 2 million homeless. The Sudanese government might accept a United Nations force in Darfur to aid African Union troops if a peace treaty is signed. PEACE TALKS: Rebels reject draft deal Amid ongoing peace talks, the plight of refugees in Darfur has worsened. The U.N. World Food Program, citing a lack of funds, is cutting rations in half. President Bush met with Darfur advocates at the White House on Friday and lent his support to the weekend rallies. "For those of you who are going out to march for justice, you represent the best of our country," Bush said. The crowd, holding signs that read "Not on our Watch" and "Never Again," ranged from Sudanese refugees to Jewish students. Saul Finkelstein, accompanied his two elementary-school-age sons, Ethan and Aaron, from New York City aboard one of five buses from the Abraham Joshua Heschel School. "It's the biggest event of the year," Finkelstein said. "The school really rallied around it." Emily Raebeck, 21, a student at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., said she learned about the rally on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She said she wondered, "How have I not heard about this?" There were no official estimates of the crowd, but people were packed into a two-block area across from the Capitol. Refugee Satima Haround, 40, of Philadelphia said conditions in Darfur are "horrific" for the victims. "It's torture, humiliation, rape, shooting and slaughter right in front of their eyes," she said. Hassan Cober of Portland, Maine, said he was forced to leave his family and flee Sudan four years ago after many people were killed and raped in his village. He urged the United States and United Nations to act quickly, saying he had no idea where his relatives were or whether they were OK. "We need deeds, not words," he said. Contributing: Wire reports Enlarge By Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP Lynn Robinson, left, and Theresa Reuter don African costumes as they join thousands on The National Mall, to protest the genocide in Darfur, Sunday.