FROM THE BBC
(Hence the emphasis on the 'should be in school' bullshit)

Anti-war pupils target soldiers

Grenadier guards manning a recruitment stand were forced to pack up by schoolchildren protesting against a possible war with Iraq.

Around 500 pupils caused chaos when they walked out of their classrooms and took to the streets of Oxford city centre.

Mounted police, patrol cars and around 24 foot officers turned out to control the pupils from Cheney, Peers, St Augustine's and Cherwell Upper schools.

But the protestors later surrounded the soldiers, who were recruiting outside the city's Westgate shopping centre, and trapped them in their van for almost half-an-hour on Thursday afternoon.

The protestors - aged between 11 and 16 years old - also threw stones at buses, blocked off part of a road and climbed on city monuments.

Headteachers at the schools said they would be treating pupils that took part in the demonstration as truants.

Pupils protesting
The youngsters caused disruption throughout the city centre
But they - and the children's parents - have been criticised by police for not stopping the demonstration from happening.

Despite turning out to monitor the beginning of the protest, the police withdrew at around 1400 GMT.

Chief Superintendent David McWhirter said: "We have our hands full dealing with crime in Oxford without schools and parents allowing this to happen.

"I will not use up my valuable resources policing a load of schoolchildren who should be in lessons."

A police spokeswoman added: "They were generally fairly disruptive - not on best form, you could say.

"To be honest, we have tried to distance ourselves from it."

Originally organisers predicted about 70 people would take part in the demonstration but were surprised by the number that turned out.