Amid Protests, Britons Support Allied Effort : Reaction: Sentiment appears to favor conflict, especially among those who lived during World War II.

Several thousand chanting demonstrators rallied in Hyde Park on Saturday to protest British and U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf, but the turnout was far smaller than the 100,000 anticipated by organizers and seemed to confirm polls that show strong support for the war here.

“The British people don’t really understand why the British army are out there, so they aren’t protesting,” said Chris Allen, a spokesman for the Internationalist Committee, one of several groups organizing protests in England.

Police from several other cities in Britain reported smaller demonstrations, including one of 2,000 in Glasgow.

As the London protesters shouted “No blood for oil” and “Get out of the gulf,” a man walking a dog nearby shook his head and muttered, “Our boys are there now, and they have to be supported.”

Indeed, the overwhelming sentiment among Britons appears to be support for the war effort. It seems strongest among those old enough to remember World War II.

“This guy Saddam (Hussein) is like Hitler,” Stephanie Colasanti, a photographer in her 60s, said of the Iraqi president as she sat on a bar stool in a central London pub. “If you let him loose, he’ll go on and on and on. Any dictator will do that.”

Colasanti’s mates at the Bill Bentley pub were unanimous in backing the war effort, expressing optimism about a quick victory. They were not deterred by the loss of two Royal Air Force planes so far.

“If lives are lost, well, you can’t get out for free,” said Peter Bennett, a military service veteran.

Leo Bantleman, a travel agency owner, marveled at the awesome range and accuracy of American electronic weapons and predicted, “The war will be over shortly.”

This is like no other war in British history. The electronic images are broadcast regularly on BBC-TV and ITN, the independent network. But they are clean images from a faraway place. Instead of Hitler’s air raids on London, British viewers watch RAF Tornadoes roar down runways in Saudi Arabia and American fighter bombers dropping lethal loads on installations in Iraq.

The most visible sign here of the war, aside from the scattered protests, is the heightened security. Bloodied by two decades of attacks by the Irish Republican Army, the British have been quick to respond to the threat of terrorism sponsored by Iraq.

As the U.N. deadline for Iraq’s withdrawal expired Tuesday, tanks and heavily armed soldiers and police rolled at Heathrow, the main international airport here. By week’s end, similar patrols were established at Gatwick Airport and at many other civilian and military locations.

In the Underground, as London’s subway is called, notices labeled “Bombs--Be Alert” went up, advising commuters what to do if they saw a suspect package.

Despite the public build-up of security forces, some experts are worried that the government may not be doing enough.

“I think the government has been rather complacent in talking only about traditional targets,” said Dan Plesch, an official with a private security firm here. He cautioned that terrorists could strike at less well-guarded locations, such as chemical plants in populated areas.

Synagogues and schools also are being protected by volunteer guards. In addition, security has been stepped up around some mosques, such as the Saddam Hussein Mosque in the Midlands city of Birmingham.

Concern over terrorism has led to the cancellation of about half of all American tour bookings to Britain since the outbreak of war. Sarah Dale, head of a tour agents organization here, said, “Cancellations are flooding into hotels simply because of fear of terrorism.”

Fears of terrorism have led to some calls for internment of the 5,000 or so Iraqi students and businessmen who are in Britain. The Home Office said Friday that contingency plans have been drawn up but that there is no intent at the present to implement them.

Since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on Aug. 2, more than 100 Iraqis have been ordered deported from Britain and police have been maintaining a close watch on hundreds of others.

In the quiet bar of a Holiday Inn near Hyde Park, six Kuwaiti men gathered around a table and solemnly discussed the fate of relatives and friends in their homeland.

“I am very worried about half my family, which remains in Kuwait,” said Fadhel Fares, who was vacationing in London when his country was invaded and has remained here since. “But I feel that the danger will pass and Saddam will die.”

As the group discussed their support for the American and British war effort, the bartender from the Holiday Inn approached the table.

“You must not have any more people join this group,” he said quietly. “You must not attract attention for security reasons. We don’t want any trouble here.”