Anger at Sarah Palin over Luther King rally

FORMER vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was criticised for assuming the mantle for US democratic values previously worn by Martin Luther King and Abraham Lincoln at a right-wing rally in Washington last night.

As tens of thousands of predominantly white conservative activists gathered "to help restore traditional American values" at the site where the Rev Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, civil rights leaders accused the group of hijacking King's legacy.

Glenn Beck, a controversial TV and radio talk show host who organised the rally, insists it's just a coincidence that his "Restoring Honour" rally on the Lincoln Memorial steps overlaps the 47th anniversary of King's speech.

Conservative favourite Palin joined Beck, telling the tens of thousands who stretched from the Lincoln Memorial to the grass of the Washington Monument, that calls to transform the country weren't enough. "We must restore America and restore her honour," said the former Alaska governor.

Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 2008 and a potential White House contender in 2012, and Beck repeatedly cited King. Palin likened the rally participants to the civil rights activists from 1963. She said the same spirit that helped them overcome oppression, discrimination and violence would help this group as well.

"We are worried about what we face. Sometimes, our challenges seem insurmountable," Palin said. "Look around you. You're not alone."

Beck, known for extreme views, has described Barack Obama, the first black US president, as a racist.

A group of civil rights activists organised by the Rev Al Sharpton held a counter rally, embarking on a three-mile march to the site of a planned monument honouring King. Sharpton and the several thousand marching with him crossed paths with some of the crowds leaving Beck's rally.