Thousands of anti-NATO protesters have flooded the streets in Chicago, condemning the spending of taxpayer dollars on US-led wars around the world

Thousands of anti-NATO protesters have flooded the streets in Chicago, condemning the spending of taxpayer dollars on US-led wars around the world.

Scuffles broke out late Sunday between police and anti-NATO protesters who demanded an end to US-led wars and the spending of tax-payer money on them, which they blamed for cuts in social programs.

Several demonstrators were detained as NATO’s 25th summit, which hosts more than 50 world leaders, went on in Chicago.

One protester carrying a poster which read "fly kites not drones”, said that he thinks NATO must be disbanded and taxpayer money spent on wars would be better off funding education and health care.

"I'm against the war," Jean Anderson, another anti-NATO protester noted, adding, “There are powers that I need to fight back against and I need to represent people who can't speak out because they're in oppressed nations."

"They're spending money on wars instead of school so we can't get into college because it's too expensive,” said high school student Isabel Olivia, who carried a cardboard gun reading "NO NATO."

The two-day NATO summit opened on Sunday with the slogan of “peace” and a minute of silence for all those who have been killed in the organization’s military operations around the world.