Students stage anti-war protests
Irish News, March 6th, report on the demonstrations.
Hundreds of pupils across Northern Ireland walked out of school yesterday to join lunchtime protests against war in Iraq. And although both the attitude of schools and response of pupils varied widely, organisers said they were planning a bigger demonstration on the day after bombing starts.
One of the biggest rallies was in Newry where more than 100 pupils gathered outside the town hall. However, Youth Against the War spokesman Gary Mulcahy expressed concern that some schools had tried to keep students indoors.
"This is an international day of action and all students should have the right to attend this rally", he said. "It's patronising to say that students don't knwo what they're talking about and it's cynical to say they're using this to get out of school. If that was the case, they wouldn't be here taking part in the rally."
Pupils from Abbey Grammar CBS said they had to get parental permission to get out. "We go to a Catholic school and the Catholic Church is completely against this war, so it's a bit of a contradicition", one student said.
However, principal Dermot MCGovern said safety was his primary concern: "The arrangements were put in place to ensure that the legal responsibility entrusted to the school for the safety of pupils was adhered to."
In Derry, about 70 6th form girls from Thornhill College marched to Guildhall Square, while A-Level boys at St Columb's Colege staged a demonstration at their gates. Although no official rally had been organised, young people wearing several different school uniforms also mixed freely at Guildhall Square, singing anti-war songs and waving placards.
St Columb's president Fr. Eamon Martin said he was exercising a "duty of care" by facilitating the protest, while Thornhill's Sarah Kelly said she had no objection to her 6th formers's participation. "I know that many of the girls are very anxious about it and actually applaud the young people's involvement", she said.
The response was more patchy in Belfast. Some pupils held protetss at school gates, but others only gathered petitions inside. Dr John Morrin, principal of St Malachy's College, said he'd told his boys they should only leave school with parental permission.
"It is not a question of sanctions - we have legal as well as moral responsibilities if parent's haven't requested that their children can leave school", he said.
In all, several thousand pupils were thought to have held anti-war protets in towns and cities actoss the UK yesterday. Methodist College student Chris Cowie said it was a good sign for the future. "It shows there is a feeling there among young people which hasn't died down," he said.
However, the Dept. of Education last night said it expected pupils to be in school during school hours: "Any participation in anti-war protets should therefore take place outside school's normal hours," it said.