FIVE coachloads of York protesters against the war in Iraq joined a major peace march in London.

More than 200 people from the city joined over 100,000 who gathered in the capital on Saturday to voice their dismay over the ongoing coalition attacks.

Columns of people marched by the River Thames to Parliament Square and into Whitehall and Downing Street in a protest organised by the Stop The War Coalition.

Rory Palmer, spokesman for York Against The War, said he was delighted with the turnout from York protesters.

He said: "We were delighted given that the march was organised at short notice. We had only five days. Once again it shows that public opinion is very much against what is happening.

"There was a very different atmosphere to the march in February. There was an underlying anger about it all."

Mr Palmer added that incidents of "civil disobedience" which had taken place in York since the outbreak of the conflict would continue. He said: "This is not to cause deliberate mischief. It is to express to the Government, who have not listened to us, what we can do.

"We particularly want to portray the message that life should not be going on as normal."

Updated: 10:10 Monday, March 24, 2003