YORK anti-war demonstrators held a candlelight vigil against allied military strikes in Afghanistan.

About 60 protesters, drawn from a wide range of local groups including the Socialist Alliance, Green Party and Quakers, circled the Parliament Street fountain yesterday evening.

They held placards carrying messages such as 'People Not Profit' and 'Peace Not War' - as well as lit candles.

A handful of passers by jeered them with shouts of 'bomb them all' and 'death to Afghanistan'.

The peace protesters were not put off - and said they would carry on their demonstrations despite huge public support for the military action.

Janet Rowntree, member of the Quaker church on Friargate, refused to accept that justice would be served if terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden was eliminated.

She said: "It is only God that can bring justice. Though I feel we should be seeking the person who is the main instigator, I also feel he should be brought within the realms of those who hope to be able to rehabilitate a disordered human being.

"Everyone is a child of God, and no matter what they have done no-one is beyond being reconciled."

When it was pointed out bin Laden committed his terrorist attacks in God's name, Ms Rowntree said: "We do not always choose to use the good that God gives us."

Bill Shaw, representing York Green Party, said his party would prefer to see people openly taken to court.

When it was put to him military action would be needed to take people to court, Mr Shaw said not enough time had been given to the Taliban to negotiate.

"Military action is not the way to solve the problem. Terrorism is a symptom of the problem, and the problem is the disadvantaged state much of the world is in.

"Not enough is being done by the western world to lift them up and out of that disadvantaged state."

Updated: 08:33 Tuesday, October 09, 2001