SAN FRANCISCO - At the site of some of the most heated U.S. protests against the war with Iraq, demonstrators supporting the war rallied yesterday while also expressing support for others to state their views.
"Americans are allowed to have opinions ... but we just need to show the troops that we ... care about them," said Reed Benet, a commercial real estate agent who organized the downtown San Francisco rally, which drew about 125 people.
Rallies supporting the war were held in Albuquerque, N.M.; Minneapolis; Little Rock, Ark.; and outside the United Nations.
Meanwhile, anti-war protesters marched in Cleveland and held a prayer vigil in San Francisco. Several dozen people dressed in friar robes and prayer shawls were arrested at the vigil after protesters blocked entrances to the federal building.
Anti-war demonstrations led to about 2,200 arrests last week during two days of mass protests in San Francisco.
Few anti-war protesters could be found at yesterday's rally. "I am pro-troops, but let's support our troops by bringing them home," Vahdat Saadat said.
That drew the anger of Jeffrey Wood, who told the Iranian-born American, "Go home, traitor."
But Therese McNulty, whose 22-year-old son is a Marine fighting in Iraq, said, "My son is risking his life to protect his [Saadat's] freedom to do that. That's what this country is about."
"Americans are allowed to have opinions ... but we just need to show the troops that we ... care about them," said Reed Benet, a commercial real estate agent who organized the downtown San Francisco rally, which drew about 125 people.
Rallies supporting the war were held in Albuquerque, N.M.; Minneapolis; Little Rock, Ark.; and outside the United Nations.
Meanwhile, anti-war protesters marched in Cleveland and held a prayer vigil in San Francisco. Several dozen people dressed in friar robes and prayer shawls were arrested at the vigil after protesters blocked entrances to the federal building.
Anti-war demonstrations led to about 2,200 arrests last week during two days of mass protests in San Francisco.
Few anti-war protesters could be found at yesterday's rally. "I am pro-troops, but let's support our troops by bringing them home," Vahdat Saadat said.
That drew the anger of Jeffrey Wood, who told the Iranian-born American, "Go home, traitor."
But Therese McNulty, whose 22-year-old son is a Marine fighting in Iraq, said, "My son is risking his life to protect his [Saadat's] freedom to do that. That's what this country is about."
