JUNE Longmuir's (Evening News, March 11) commenting on the children who used school time to protest against war at the Chase High School, Malvern, said: "To walk out of school is an irrelevant protest."

I would like to challenge this. The millions of citizens in this country who have called for peace for many months now feel ignored as the State war machine surges ahead showing total disregard to opposition.

Babies, toddlers, teenagers, adults, the old, the sick and the disabled in Iraq now face the prospect of losing their lives.

The media in this country daily shows us the weapons of mass destruction that the US and possibly the UK will use upon the civilians of Iraq. Our children watch and listen in horror, understanding the devastating consequences the use of these weapons will bring.

Constructive

The children, in their own constructive manner, organise protests within "school time" to try and get the best media attention to bring to attention their very real concerns about war and the horror that it unleashes.

The school pupils obviously do not think that the possibility of many thousands of people like themselves being blown to pieces is "irrelevant" nor, that they themselves, seeking media coverage to show their concerns about war is an "irrelevant" issue either.

I support these pupils and their actions against a war they feel to be unjust as we travel headlong into the carnage of a war in which this country may well play a significant role.

SEAN KIRTLEY, Malvern.

(Father of Rowan and Jack Kirtley who "walked out" of school in a protest against war against Iraq on Friday, March 7).