WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Protesters from State College, bearing a banner reading "Alternatives to War Committee -- Central Pennsylvania," marched through the streets Saturday in the capital's largest anti-war demonstration since the Vietnam conflict.

The parade, led by a police motorcade, inched around the corner of Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue toward the White House at 1 p.m. The State College contingent passed the White House gates about two hours later.

Police cruisers, a line of uniformed officers, a cement barricade and a wrought-iron fence separated marchers from the White House lawn. Additional security guards, with riot sticks drawn, stood inside the fence.

"It's sad to see a White House surrounded by police in riot gear, but I understand the need to protect against terrorist attacks," said Robert Hatten, associate professor of music and president of the Alternatives to War Committee.

Hatten came to the capital by bus with 44 committee members -- State College residents and students opposed to U.S. military operations in the Middle East. Between 30 and 40 additional State College residents traveled by carpool and later met the bus riders.

Fistfights marred a smaller, more intense rally one week before this march, but Saturday's demonstrators encountered little opposition.

"I think it went very smoothly," said John Kelly (junior-geography). "I just hope the big media doesn't downplay the fact that this is just the tip of the iceberg."

About 75,000 anti-war protesters turned out for the "March on Washington," according to U.S. Park Police estimates. Organizers, however, said the crowd numbered more than 250,000. People protested the war in cities throughout the world Saturday, including 25,000 people in San Francisco and more than 150,000 in Bonn, Germany.

"It's good to see a lot of people feel the same way we do," said Ingrid Kopp, a graduate of State College High School who attends college in Ottawa, Canada.

Kopp, who came to Washington, D.C., Saturday, said she has participated in anti-war rallies in Canada.

"It was one way for me to state it to my own government, rather than demonstrating in Ottawa," she said.

Betty Wappa (senior-nursing) said, "I think it's important for people, both elected officers and American people in general, to see there are different opinions and there are alternatives to war."

The parade was sponsored by the National Campaign for Peace in the Middle East.

Veterans against the war, including a group calling themselves "Philadelphia Veterans for Peace," marched at the front of the parade. The veterans and members of military families, many of whom carried large American flags, were followed by an acting group from Vermont.

Members of Vermont's Bread and Puppet Theater have participated in protests during and since the Vietnam War. Bystanders were almost silent as elaborately costumed theater members carried life-sized limp dolls representing the bodies of dead soldiers.

After the State College group finished its march through center city and was seated on the Ellipse, Hatten said, "(The protest) may not do any good for this war . . . but it may change people's attitudes and help them to realize that no war is a good war."

Several people spoke from a small stage at the Ellipse, including the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Molly Yard, the president of the National Organization for Women; and actress Margot Kidder.

"Violence begets violence," Jackson said. "An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, will leave us blind, ugly and begotten."

Most of the speeches were brief as temperatures hovered in the low-30s throughout the day. The crowd began to disperse around 4:30 p.m.

Kelly predicted more anti-war demonstrations will be held in the coming weeks and attendance will continue to grow.

"This is just the beginning because this war goes against so many interests . . . it can only unite the various groups," Kelly said. "There will be more, especially when the ground war starts . . . which I'm sure it will."

Before returning to State College, Hatten reflected on his march down Pennsylvania Avenue among thousands of other Americans protesting the war.

"I just knew I was in the right place," he said.