ANTI-war campaigners are to gather around the Eye of York tomorrow in solidarity with those meeting for the mass demonstration in London.

Organiser Dr Keith Davis will be waving a banner and is covering his body with slogans such as "not in my name" and "no blood for oil".

"The demonstration is for the benefit of those who can't get to London," he said.

"We feel that any proposed war with Iraq is unacceptable. We should be negotiating, not dropping bombs."

Between 40 and 50 demonstrators are meeting at noon and will march into the city centre.

Earlier tomorrow, about 1,500 York area demonstrators are to set off for the national protest.

Marches are being held in more than 300 cities across the globe, uniting ordinary people, politicians, trade unionists, actors and comedians in a common purpose.

The demonstration in London alone could attract between 500,000 and one million people from across the country, making it Britain's largest-ever protest.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people are thought to be planning to attend simultaneous demonstrations in Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow.

The Scottish march plans to converge on the Labour Party's spring conference to coincide with Prime Minister Tony Blair's speech.

The demonstrations have been organised by the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Muslim Association of Britain.

They are part of a weekend of events, including the Valentine's Day Make Love Not War series of talks, rallies and discussions.

In London, high-profile supporters of the march include the capital's mayor Ken Livingstone, human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger, former MP Tony Benn, and the ex-president of Algeria, Ahmed Ben Bella.

Former U.S. presidential candidate the Rev Jesse Jackson is also expected to be at Hyde Park, as are Labour backbenchers George Galloway and Jeremy Corbyn and the Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy.

Also present on the main stage near Speakers' Corner will be Blur frontman Damon Albarn and singer Ms Dynamite.

Updated: 11:37 Friday, February 14, 2003