Students abandon their desks in protests against war in Iraq

MORE than 1,000 secondary school students took to the streets yesterday in a series of countrywide school walkouts against war in Iraq.

Students downed their books just before lunch to join noisy demonstrations in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, despite calls from teachers and the union of secondary schools not to leave classes. Numerous individual schools around the country also saw smaller actions and protests.

In Dublin, up to 400 students from numerous schools gathered at 1pm

before marching to Leinster House, where the crowd was addressed by

anti-war activists.

Hundreds of students also converged on Cork's Bishop Lucey Park and Limerick's city centre.

Yesterday's marches follow similar walkouts across the world earlier this month, when schools from Dublin to California saw students abandon books in favour of anti-war placards and megaphones in a protest that spanned the globe.

Matt Waine, spokesman for the

organisation Youth Against War, which organised yesterday's action, said the day had been a success. He promised similar protests.

"We are preparing for significant stoppages in as many schools as possible on Day X, the day the war begins," he said.

But Union of Secondary Students President Dara Hickey said the union would not encourage students to leave classes.

"It's nice to see that students are voicing their opinions, but this might not be the most appropriate way. The proportion of secondary school

students protesting is very small compared to the national protests and

perhaps they would be better off

joining other national protests at the weekend," he said.

Mr Hickey said school walkouts posed headaches for school authorities, including insurance complications.

"We don't want to see any students getting hurt at any of these events. But we can understand in general why the students want to protest, given their feelings over the current looming

political crisis in Iraq," he said.

Around 300 students from Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's former school St Aidan's CBS in Dublin walked out of classes on Tuesday. Three schools in Blanchardstown also staged protests.