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Washington — Marching two-by-two and wearing blue memorial ribbons, hundreds of FBI agents staged an unprecedented demonstration Friday at the White House, protesting any presidential clemency for an American Indian activist convicted of killing two FBI men in 1975.

The emotional procession of 500 current and former FBI employees and family members marched in a loop around the White House, led by two agents carrying a banner with the red-lettered slogan "Never Forget." A few agents blinked back tears as they displayed pictures of their slain colleagues, agents Ron Williams and Jack Coler.

An unidentified FBI agent Holds an image of two FBI agents, Ron Williams, left, and Jack Coler, during a march in Washington, D.C. Nearly 500 current and retired FBI agents descended Friday on the White House in an unprecedented protest, opposing clemency for Leonard Peltier, an American Indian activist convicted of killing Williams and Coler.

Despite the protest, supporters of Leonard Peltier said they remained hopeful President Clinton would grant clemency for the American Indian activist.

"We're hoping that President Clinton will stick by his word and look at the merits and the facts of the case," said Gina Chiala, coordinator of the Lawrence, Kan.,-based Leonard Peltier Defense Committee. "If he's not intimidated by the FBI, we think he will grant clemency."

Out of reach

In Washington, protesting agents hauled a bulky petition for Clinton signed by 8,000 current and former agents protesting any easing of punishment for Peltier, 56, who is serving two consecutive life sentences in the federal prison at Leavenworth, Kan.

Secret Service agents refused to take the petition, telling their fellow federal officers White House security forbids acceptance of any documents or packages. The agents planned to mail it.

"There are situations in which mercy is warranted, but clearly what this man has done puts him outside of the reach of any presidential pardon," said John Sennett, a New York-based agent and president of the FBI Agents Assn., which has about 9,000 active and 1,000 retired members.

The protest supported FBI Director Louis Freeh's recommendation to Clinton not to give Peltier clemency, saying such an act would "signal disrespect" for law enforcement.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., and 21 other House members forwarded a letter Friday to the president, opposing clemency for Peltier.

Clinton has said that he would review pending requests for executive clemency, including Peltier's, before he leaves office in January. He could free Peltier by pardoning him or commuting his sentence.

"I know it's very important to a lot of people, maybe on both sides of the issue," Clinton said regarding the Peltier case in November. "And I think I owe it to them to give it an honest look-see."

Pine Ridge questions

Peltier was charged with taking part in the 1975 slayings, but whether he fired the fatal shots was never proven, according to his supporters. The two FBI agents were killed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota as they were searching for robbery suspects. They were shot in the head execution-style after they were injured. Their bodies were left on a dirt road.

Members of the Aztec dance group "Cetiliztli Nahucampa Quezatcoalt in Ixachitlan" perform during a Leonard Peltier rally Sunday in New York.

Peltier was convicted in 1977. He initially fled to Canada before he was extradited to the United States. His defense claimed evidence was falsified against him.

This year, a U.S. Parole Commission examiner recommended against granting Peltier parole. He does not become eligible again until 2008.

Chiala said she was only mildly surprised by the FBI's protest.

"They're supposed to be a neutral law enforcement agency, yet they're saying things that aren't true to try to influence people," she said.

Both sides rally

Two weeks ago, rallies were conducted in support of Peltier in New York City and at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. Chiala attended the New York rally. About 3,000 people attended, she said. Among them were representatives from many American Indian reservations, as well as organizations such as Amnesty International, she said.

"The mood was very respectful and positive," Chiala said. "It was a very diverse crowd."

Peltier is aware that his chances of a release are better now than they have been in years, according to Chiala.

"I think that hope frightens him, and he's kind of holding his breath," she said. "I can't imagine what this is like for him."

Susan Lloyd, an FBI field office spokeswoman who joined the protesters, said the vast majority of those in the demonstration were active agents. Most were from offices in Washington and Baltimore. All applied for the day off, she said.

"None of this is on government time," she said.

At FBI headquarters, spokesman Mike Kortan said, "FBI employees, like other federal workers and citizens, have the right to express their views on issues they feel passionately about."

MORE: www.house.gov/judiciary;

www.freepeltier.org;

www.noparolepeltier.com