HILADELPHIA - Mimi Lang, wearing a flowing black veil over her face, slowly walked past thousands of protesters yesterday along the crowded downtown streets.
''We do live in a culture of death,'' said Lang, reciting the words scribbled on her dress. ''Look at the tax dollars spent for more weapons and the children dying in Iraq because of our sanctions,'' she said. ''It's all so bad.''
Lang was one of an estimated 5,000 activists who peacefully converged on downtown Philadelphia on the eve of the Republican National Convention. Some carried signs and banners, while others screamed their messages to anyone who would listen. Then there were others who let their clothes make the statement, like Lang and the animal-rights activist who wore a pink pig costume.
''Everything is covered here,'' said Bob Reynolds of Boston. ''I think this is all great. These messages resonate with Americans.''
For most of the day, though, the march was far more hysterical than satirical.
A spokeswoman for Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney estimated the Unity 2000 rally attracted 3,000 to 5,000 people.
Other demonstrations are expected throughout the week, according to officials.
Minor clashes erupted between antiabortion and abortion rights activists, according to the police department. One man was injured when he fell off a truck.
But all along the streets, the scene resembled a festival. Drums blared as a group of protesters held a banner with a picture of Mumia Abu Jamal, who is on death row, convicted of fatally shooting a Philadelphia police officer.
Ky Ngo of South Vietnam stood in the middle of the street, wearing a yellow silk gown as two former Vietnam soldiers held anticommunist signs.
''We want to tell people, don't forget the million of Americans and Vietnamese who died in the Vietnam War,'' he said. ''I speak for millions of people back home because the communist government won't allow them to speak.''
Just down the street stood Jeremy Bushnell, a Web site designer and English professor at the University of Illinois. Bushnell, who traveled to Philadelphia for the protest, held a sign that read ''Web designers for Justice.''
Bushnell said many people he converses with on the Web feel that Republicans like George W. Bush are failing to help America's poorest communities.
''Poverty is a political issue,'' he said. ''The Republicans have failed to address the issues of poverty in America.''
