http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/06 ... 102030.txt

Friday, June 30, 2006

Minutemen hold demonstration outside of County Fair

By: North County Times

DEL MAR ---- About 50 demonstrators gathered at various entrances to the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar Friday to protest the flying of the Mexican flag at the fair's gates.

The largest group ---- about 20 protesters ---- demonstrated outside the fair's main gate earlier this morning, where the Mexican flag is displayed alongside California's state flag and below the U.S. flag.

The demonstrations were publicized by the same people who have publicized rallies for the San Diego Minutemen, an anti-illegal immigration group that protested earlier this week in Vista. The Minuteman group says it opposes illegal immigration. Critics have called the group racist and inflammatory.

A written statement issued by organizers of the protest said the demonstration was designed to "alert fairgoers to this insult to Americans" and to push fair management to replace the Mexican flag with a San Diego County Flag.

Word of the protest spread via the conservative radio talk show host Rick Roberts, who publicized the event on his broadcast Friday.

For more on this story and for fair managers' response to the protests, check back with nctimes.com and see Saturday's North County Times.