1.
AERIAL V San Francisco
0.05

2.
AERIAL V Demonstrators MARCHING (2 shots)
0.14

3.
SV Vietnam veterans lead march with banner "Servicemen for Peace now"
0.21

4.
MV Veteran in officer's uniform
0.24

5.
MV PAN Old men marching
0.27

6.
SV Demonstrators with peace placard
0.30

7.
MV & GV Demonstrators marching, chanting & singing "Give peace a chance" (3 shots)
0.48

8.
GV Demonstrators enter polo field
0.50

10.
SV Demonstrators with flags
0.56

11.
SV Demonstrators give victory sign
1.00

12.
CU & SV Demonstrators (3 shots)
1.07

13.
GV Demonstrators gathered in polo field (4 shots)
1.23

14.
CU American flag, and demonstrators' flag.
1.28



Initials BB/0024 WLW/BOB/BB/0045


NOTE TO EDITORS: THE VOICE-OVER COMMENTARY IS FOR GUIDANCE ONLY. THE SOUND TRACK INCLUDES SOME GOOD NATURAL SOUND.
NOTE: PLEASE REFER TO VISNEWS PRODUCTION NO. 4494/71, SERVICED FROM LONDON 24 APRIL 1971, "NEARLY A QUARTER OF A MILLION ANTI-VIETNAM WAR DEMONSTRATORS MARCH THROUGH WASHINGTON."
TELERECORDING original colour on 4605/71 100ft

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The largest-ever anti-war rally to be held in San Francisco took place on Saturday (April 24) as some two hundred thousand demonstrators gathered in a polo field at the end of a week-long series of protests in many parts of the country. The San Francisco demonstrators were led--as in Washington demonstrations--by veterans of the Vietnam war. About one hundred thousand of the demonstrators also took part in a six-mile protest march through the city streets to the polo field, where the demonstration was held in a carnival-like atmosphere. There was no violence, and no arrests were made.

SYNOPSIS: The largest-ever anti-war rally to be held in San Francisco took place on Saturday when about a hundred thousand people marched through the city streets in protest against the Vietnam war.

The demonstrators were led by Vietnam veterans, as in similar week-long protests in Washington and other parts of the country.

Four thousand marshals kept order among the protestors, but there was no violence or arrests.

The march ended in a giant polo field, where another hundred thousand demonstrators turned up to take part in the carnival-like protest. Three hours after it began the crowd was still coming in for the music, anti-war speeches, argument, and a good protest.

Meanwhile, similar scenes took place in other cities and towns--especially Washington, where nearly a quarter of a million demonstrators gathered for a mammoth climax to the week-long series of protests against the war. There, hundreds of bitter ex-Vietnam servicemen threw away their war medals--claiming them to be worthless. The country-wide outcry against the war was certainly the loudest ever heard.