The South Gates of campus were alive with honking horns and students chanting “God bless America” Friday evening.
The College Republican Alliance of LSU rallied from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to support President George W. Bush’s decision to go to war with Iraq.
“It’s hard to get the majority out here because we’re the majority,” said Shawn Hanscom, president of the College Republican Alliance of LSU.
The Coalition for Alternatives to War with Iraq usually protests at the South Gates of campus every Friday evening, but the group did not show up this week.
Hanscom said he wants to make sure anti-war protesters at LSU who have spoken out against the war are not the only political voices students hear.
“It is extremely important that the students at LSU understand that the anti-war protesters represent a minority viewpoint in this country,” said Christopher Boudreaux, second vice-president of the College Republican Alliance of LSU.
Hanscom said he was protesting because Saddam Hussein has been eluding weapons inspectors and the United Nations for 12 years and if the United States does not do something now, there will be “big trouble.”
Scott Alexander, a protester and international trade and finance sophomore, said not doing anything is worse than going in and bombing Baghdad.
“I hate the French,” Alexander said in reference to France’s opposition to the U.S.-led war. He spoke while holding a “Fry the French” sign.
Boudreaux said it does not matter which side a person is on, but everyone should show support for the troops overseas because they are putting their lives on the line for American values.
Alex Evans, former president of the Alliance and general studies senior, said he is supporting the conflict with Iraq because it will free the people of Iraq from a tyrant.
      “Saddam kills his own people,” Evans said. “If they’re dead, they aren’t liberated.”
He said Saddam has killed more Muslims than anyone else in the world.
Jessica Miller, a psychology freshman and onlooker, said she felt like she was at Mardi Gras with all the horns honking and people shouting.
“If they’re pro-American, then I guess that’s always good,” Miller said.
Alicia Purvis, a local resident and mass communication senior, said the only sign she found mildly offensive was the one saying, “Fry the French.”
“I don’t mind them being on my front lawn,” Purvis said. “I think they should show their support.”
On the other side of the globe, tens of thousands of people chanting anti-American slogans took to the streets of Middle Eastern cities for a second day of demonstrations against the U.S.-led war on Iraq, according to ABC news.
The biggest protests were in the Yemeni capital Sanaa and in Palestinian territories, where at least two demonstrators were killed in brawls. More rallies in support of Saddam Hussein were held in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria and the West Bank, according to ABC news.
No one was hurt in the South Gates rally on Friday. People were pumping up supporters riding past in their cars waving American flags and chanting, “U-S-A.” War supporters held signs saying, “We don’t need anyone’s permission to defend our country,” “It’s the American way” and “Goodbye Saddam!”
Big trucks with “Bush/Cheney” bumper stickers honked, revving their engines as they passed by.
“This is a good opportunity for students to express the majority view of the LSU student body, which is that war is necessary to protect our freedoms in this country,” Hanscom said.