Beijing students protest war in Iraq

Chinese authorities have allowed students at Beijing University to stage a demonstration against the Iraq war.

In a rare instance of campus political activism permitted by the government, about two dozen students set up signboards displaying photographs of wounded Iraqi civilians.

A box was set out for donations to help Iraqi refugees and five students briefly held up letters spelling "No War" in English.

"This is just us students expressing our opposition to the war and humanitarian sympathy for the people of Iraq," said a student holding up the letter 'A,' who gave only his surname, Qiao. Other students rolled out a banner saying in Chinese, "Oppose war, don't take peace for granted."

Small groups of onlookers paused to view the display, set up on the edge of a plaza in the centre of the campus. Some took photos but most quickly moved on to meet friends or study in the school's modern new library.