As she said that, Weymouth's Kristen DeLuca yelled, ''Southie's the place to be!''
Tom Evans, also of Weymouth, continued to fill a quart-sized plastic cup from cans of Coors Light he'd stowed in his backpack. Wearing an oversized Styrofoam green Leprechaun's hat, he shouted, ''I love St. Paddy's Day. I love St. Paddy's Day!''
Behind the procession of step dancers, uniformed New York firefighters, National Guardsmen, police officers and politicians, 10 men and women calling for no war in Iraq carried placards. They walked just a few hundred yards ahead of the street sweepers. But they were certainly noticed.
As soon as the group started walking with antiwar signs, they were barraged with people cheering and booing. ''Go back to France! Traitors!'' men and women in the crowd yelled.
''I think it's treason,'' said Roger Rist of Meredith, N.H., who was dressed up as a 6-foot leprechaun with an orange beard, and was among the bystanders shouting ''traitor.''
''I think the country needs our support, I think the troops need our support, and I think the president needs our support. And I don't think these people know the facts,'' he said.
Supporters, meanwhile, streamed out of the crowd and flashed peace signs.
At one point, the entire top floor of a multifamily home at 580 Broadway St. was full of people clapping for the peace demonstrators from open windows, while the bottom floor windows were filled with people shouting against them.
''Hey, if they want to take the abuse, they should definitely be allowed to march,'' said Mark Morneau, watching the scene unfold.
Others were less tolerant. ''We hate them,'' said Lisa Pelrine of Weymouth, who was standing with two friends. ''They have no place here.''
John ''Wacko'' Hurley, the parade organizer, said, ''Nobody wants a war. But whatever our president says, we need to support.''
Flaherty said the divide reflected the rift throughout the country. Hurley was his best friend and the best man in his wedding. Now he doesn't expect they'll ever talk again.
''This is splitting brother against brother,'' he said. ''This is deep.''
boston.com
march for saddam, commrades....... |
