PROTESTORS converged around the region yesterday to take a stance against the war.

In Newcastle, demonstrators caused traffic chaos when they blocked off a main road during rush hour.

More than 30 staged a sitdown protest in the middle of the road at the junction of St Mary's Place and Northumberland Street.

Others climbed up the tower of nearby St Thomas's Church to unfurl a banner calling for the bombing to stop. Later, they marched to the Haymarket, chanting "no war for oil".

At 8pm last night, about 100 protestors stopped traffic by sitting down in Claremont Road, in the city centre.

A further 200 were believed to be involved in a protest march, but police said they were not causing major traffic problems.

Earlier, one of the demonstrators, senior sociology lecturer Dr Ian Inglish, said: "Tony Blair seems to have forgotten who he was elected by - to serve the interests of voters not to serve George Bush."

Vanessa Maughan said: "The majority of people want no part of this war."

Kevin Kerrigan, who yesterday cut up his Labour membership card in protest, said: "I think it is stupid and barbaric to go to war when we had inspectors within Iraq."

Members of Darlington for Peace held a vigil in the town, from 8am outside the Labour Party office in Victoria Road.

They plan to go to the Sedgefield Labour Group's annual meeting tomorrow before holding a weekly vigil in Darlington market square from 11am to noon.

In Durham, university students and several of the city's schools joined forces for anti-war demonstrations.

Pupils from Framwellgate School, Durham Johnston Comprehensive and St Leonards RC School, converged on Elvet Bridge with banners, for a rally in the city led by Durham University Social Forum.

Some had defied warnings from their schools that they would be suspended for attending the rally, including students from Framwellgate School, who left at lunchtime to join the protest.

One pupil said: "There's about 60 and 70 from my school. We came down here together and we've been told we would be suspended if we came here.

"We came here in protest at the war and also to show defiance to the people who said we couldn't demonstrate."

At 4pm, they marched to the city square and many stayed for an overnight candle-lit vigil with Peace Action Durham.

Pupils from Durham Johnston School's upper site, in Crossgate Moor, protested with the blessing of headteacher Richard Bloodworth, after he was approached by the school council.

Pupils have drafted a 537-name anti-war petition.

Protest organiser Neil Mackenzie, 18, an A-level politics student, said: "We wanted to work with the whole school.

"Obviously, we are not going to be able to stop a war now, but when this is written into history, these people need to tell their children and grandchildren that this illegitimate and illegal war was not in their name."

Mr Bloodworth said he was impressed with pupils' convictions. He said: "This is citizenship in action."

Schoolchildren blocked Lendal Bridge and Ouse Bridge, in York, forcing police to move them back on to the pavements.

The youngsters said they were pupils of All Saints' school and Millthorpe School.

But Bill Scriven, deputy headteacher at All Saints, said pupils had been given a clear message that they were not allowed to leave the school.

21/03/2003