(30 Jul 2000) English/Nat
XFA
Thousands of Republicans from all over the United States have begun descending on the city of Philadelphia for their party's political convention.
The convention, which begins on Monday, will see the formal confirmation of Texas governor George W. Bush as the Republican nominee for U-S president.
The Republican faithful are also being joined by thousands of people with a different mission.
They're using the media attention generated by the convention to campaign on a number of issues.
The crowd moving down this Philadelphia street on Saturday morning was the most visible sign yet that the city will play host to more than convention-bound Republicans in the days ahead.
The group of mainly women and children steadily marched in a silent protest.
They'd come to Philadelphia to argue that America's lax gun laws have created a culture of violence - and death.
Some of were the mothers and fathers of children killed by guns.
SOUNDBITE: (English):
\"That's right, but we're out here to make a difference....to let people know this is pain. Murder is painful. And it doesn't affect only us, it affects everyone.\"
SUPER CAPTION: Jessie Snead, mother of gun victim.
With hundreds of journalists converging on Philadelphia for the Republican convention, they knew this was their chance to be heard.
The demonstrators blamed local and national leaders who they said were turning a deaf ear to the growing calls for tougher gun laws.
To help make the point, the campaigners brought thousands of pairs of shoes, said to be those of victims of gun violence.
But they were not alone.
Not far away, another group set out a garden of some one-thousand U-S flags to herald their cause - in favour of maintaining the right to bear arms - as enshrined in the U-S constitution.
They drew a mix of curious onlookers - and ended up in a face-off with the anti-gun marchers.
Those on both sides of the gun issue are only part of a disparate army of protesters converging on Philadelphia for the convention.
Other groups are planning demonstrations on issues ranging from abortion to health care.
And so far, Philadelphia's police force is putting a friendly face on what city officials hope will be a few days of peaceful protest.
Police officials plan to increase their presence in public places, saying they'll have hundreds of officers ready to be deployed in case of disturbances.
Another group calling itself the \"Ad Hoc Committee for health care\" also marched through Philadelphia on Saturday.
The rally attracted about 15-hundred people in support of universal health care - a major campaign issue at a time when 44 (M) million Americans are uninsured.
The coalition included health care workers, those in need of medical treatment and supporters.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
\"Clearly, there is a call to duty that we must take back the health care system - we cannot leave it to the Democrat Party, to the Republican Party, to the governor, the Congress to City Hall. We must organise and take back the health delivery system.\"
SUPER CAPTION: Henry Nicholas, Health Care Worker
Demonstrators say they won't stop in Philadelphia, but plan to continue their protest in Los Angeles at the Democratic convention.
About 300 protesters also gathered on a street corner near the Philadelphia police union headquarters to denounce police brutality and call for an end to the death penalty.
Earlier this month, Philadelphia police officers were videotaped beating a black man after he had been stopped.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
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