THE Government's Chief Whip, Hilary Armstrong, was confronted by anti-war protestors who burst into a Labour Party meeting in her North-East constituency.

The North-West Durham MP was addressing local Labour members when several campaigners, waving banners which read Stop the War, interrupted the private meeting at Consett Civic Centre.

Police were called and the protestors agreed to leave the council chamber, but only when Ms Armstrong agreed to speak to them after the meeting.

She later went outside to talk to the group of a dozen protestors, made up of students and other anti-war demonstrators from County Durham and Tyneside.

Onlooker James Renwick, from Croxdale, County Durham, said Ms Armstrong attempted to defend the Government's action over Iraq, but struggled to make her point as the protestors voiced their opinions.

Acting inspector Eddie Bell, of Consett Police, said the incident passed peacefully.

In York, anti-war campaigners silently marched in protest on Saturday, before playing their own symbolic tribute to the conflict's civilian dead.

Almost 300 demonstrators gathered in York's Museum Gardens for a march.

They made their way to the city's market place and about half lay on the ground to symbolise those killed in the recent bombings of two markets in Baghdad.

A spokesman for the protest's organiser, York Against the War, said: "A lot of people stopped and asked questions, which was the response we wanted from the public.

"It was a silent and sombre protest, which reflected the mood of the anti-war movement at the moment.

"People are still very angry, but there is a reflective mood as we are seeing images and hearing stories of civilians dying.

"Non-violent direct action is not about pointless mischief. It is intended to raise the domestic cost of the war to the Government."

The police said the demonstration had passed peacefully.

Meanwhile, up to 60 people met at the Army Recruitment Centre, in Borough Road, Middlesbrough, and marched through the town to distribute leaflets.

Protestor Pete Widlinski said: "Some people were accusing us of being unpatriotic, but we are not, we just disagree with the policy of this war. We want to see all of the soldiers home safely."

Opponents of the war have also organised a protest to be held at Fylingdales surveillance base, in North Yorkshire, on Saturday.

31/03/2003