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Supporters Of WikiLeak Whistleblower March Through San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF / AP) -- Hundreds of supporters of Bradley Manning -- the Army private blamed for the largest leak of classified material in American history -- marched through downtown San Francisco Saturday afternoon in a show of support for Manning.

As protesters marched down Market Street they chanted "Free Bradley Manning" and held up signs demanding his release.

Dozens of police officers, many on motorcycles, kept the crowd on one side of the street.

Protesters stopped outside a Wells Fargo bank and heard from several speakers, including a brief statement made by Scott Olsen, the Marine Corps veteran who was badly injured during a clash between police and Occupy Oakland protests in October.

The San Francisco protest comes on the same day the prosecution began presenting its case against Bradley in a military court in Maryland.

The 24-year-old Bradley is accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of sensitive items.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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