Most County Marchers Back Troops

Thousands of demonstrators, some flush with patriotic fervor and others chanting now-familiar anti-war slogans, were back on the streets throughout the Southland on Saturday, voicing conflicting passions about the war in the blackened Persian Gulf.

For the most part, Orange County was awash in red, white and blue as about 600 people turned out for demonstrations in Costa Mesa, Fullerton and Orange to support the U.S. role in the Gulf War.

In Costa Mesa, about 300 people, most of them waving flags or sporting yellow ribbons, marched in the bright sunshine from South Coast Plaza to Shiffer Park in a show of support for Operation Desert Storm.

“The electronic media is giving an erroneous impression to Saddam Hussein when they show (peace activist) Ron Kovic and (Los Angeles Assemblywoman) Maxine Waters,” Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) told the crowd.

He said President Bush has the support of an overwhelming majority of the American people and added, to loud applause, that the Iraqis “are the Scuds, and we’re the Patriots.”

During the march, some chanted, “USA!” and waved placards carrying such slogans as, “Hussein, This Scud’s for You.”

Anthony Kelly, a 45-year-old Newport Beach real estate agent, told people at the rally that anti-war protesters were performing a disservice to the military’s men and women in the gulf.

“No one in this crowd likes war, because the reality of war means death and suffering!” Kelly shouted. “But worse than fear of death for a soldier is abandonment by your own country!”

About 200 people gathered in downtown Orange for a virtual encore of a rally staged there last week.

“We want people to know we’re proud to be Americans!” said Orange Mayor Gene Beyer, his voice raised above a din of automobile horns. “We need to show that we’re behind them so that they can get home quick!”

State Sen. Edward R. Royce (R-Anaheim) led about 100 people in a rally at Fullerton’s Hillcrest Park sponsored by a group called Brothers of Overseas Military Personnel.

“This is such a different war, with the possibility of chemical and biological warfare,” Royce said after the rally. “With such intense pressure on the troops, it’s important that they know the people support them. Our troops are cognizant of what’s going on on the home front too.”

But the Southland’s largest crowds converged at Los Angeles City Hall, where thousands of demonstrators, including many from Orange County, mixed and expressed varying views on the conflict.

Los Angeles authorities estimated the crowd as low as 2,500, while protest organizers boasted up to 20,000.

“There is a tremendous amount of energy here,” said Patrick Flynn, a 58-year-old Yorba Linda resident who was hoisting a banner identifying himself as part of an Orange County anti-war coalition. “It’s like something medieval, like a town square.”

Wearing a “Veterans for Peace” T-shirt, Flynn said this anti-war movement represented his first effort at political activism.

“I just know this is terribly wrong for America,” he said.

Government censorship and “sanitized” media accounts are among the frustrations energizing anti-war sentiment, Flynn said.

“We know people are getting killed and being bombed,” he said, “but George Bush and Saddam Hussein find it convenient to ignore it.”

Times staff writer Kevin Johnson contributed to this story.