Racist protesters demonstrate at event

Protesters demonstrate at event



By CHAD SMITH
chad.smith@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 01/21/09


On the far-east end of the Plaza de la Constitucion, a man stood holding a scarecrow-like figure with a mask of President Barack Obama for a head.

On the mask's forehead the man had put a piece of black tape with '666' written on it.

On the figure's white, short-sleeved shirt he had written 'Abortion' and 'Sodomy' and, on the left breast pocket, 'AC' -- for the Antichrist -- and another 666.

He and another man, who would not give their real names, stood at the corner of Cathedral Place and Charlotte Street on Tuesday afternoon to protest Obama's inauguration as hundreds of people watched on television at the other end of the plaza as he was sworn in as the 44th president.

The two, who called themselves "George Washington" and "Ben Franklin" and said they were from St. Augustine, said Obama and other "liberals" support sodomy by supporting gay marriage and support killing "innocent" people in the form of abortion. However, Obama has said he is opposed to gay marriage but also opposes a constitutional ban against it. He does support women's right to choose whether they terminate their pregnancies.

As the crowd dispersed at about 2 p.m., passers-by took umbrage with the effigy and theirs signs, which read "No true Christian can support OBAMA" and "OBAMA Kills the Unborn."

And they told them so, as three police officers looked on to make sure the confrontations did not become violent.

One man photographing the pair sarcastically said, "You're going to be famous one day."

Another man who was walking by the scene said, "Yeah, famous for being (expletive) morons."

Another man approached and said, "Shameful."

The protester calling himself Ben Franklin asked, "Are you a Sodomite?"

"Are you? You look like you might be," the man replied.

A woman drove by in a minivan and yelled profanity at them.

"Nice mouth on that one," Ben Franklin said.

But the protestors had a few supporters.

A woman driving west on Cathedral gave them a thumbs up and said, "God bless you."

Without being asked about a potential racial issue, the man calling himself George Washington said, "It's got nothing to do with the color of his skin."

Though Obama is a Christian, "Ben Franklin" said that's impossible.

"He's not a Bible-believing Christian," he said.

Neither are Obama's supporters, he said.

"No Christian, no Bible-believe Christian can support that guy," he said.


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