TWO hundred and fifty primary school children yesterday left their classes in Nicosia to demonstrate against the war in Iraq.
The entire student and teaching body of Palouriotissa B’ Primary School marched towards the University Park on Larnaca Avenue at 10.30am yesterday.
The police-escorted group, made up of a small army of 6-12-year-olds and their teachers, chanted peace slogans and carried colourful banners in an effort to have their young voices heard.
The school president read a message appealing for a peaceful solution to the crisis and an end to the killing of innocent children. The school choir then sang songs of and balloons were later released, followed by more anti- war speeches written by the students.
Teachers told the Cyprus Mail the demonstration had been carried out and organised entirely by the pupils. In fact, on Tuesday, the children had even carried out a fundraiser and gathered £300 to go to the children in Iraq, said Noni Hadjinicolaou.
“The student council, which is made up of the heads of each year, met and discussed the issue and wanted to go ahead with today’s protest,” she said. “They wrote a letter and sent it to the rest of the pupils and then notified us (the teachers), the parents’ association and the police.”
Hadjinicolaou said the children did have an understanding of the war and were genuinely disturbed by it. “One girl told me that she had to turn away from some of the graphic scenes on TV because they upset her. Also, a number of children have been very affected by the image of a child that lost both its arms that has been shown on the news, because several of them frequently mention it.”
Eleven-year-old Michalis confirmed it had been their idea to hold the protest. “Yes,” agreed seven-year-old Phoebe, “we came here today because what is going on is upsetting us.”
Two 10-year-old boys held up a banner that read: “No more blood for oil.” Other slogans included “Stop the war,” “No to war,” “Why so much blood for oil” and “Bush you’re a terrorist”.
Soteris and Andreas explained they had been told to write several slogans in their notebooks and to choose they one they felt was best. “We liked this one best. Everyone chose something different and then in groups of four to six people we wrote what we wanted.”
Emilios and Doros, aged 12 and 11 respectively, said they hoped their protest would be heard by the superpowers and said the war was an atrocity that had to be ended. “It must stop. Innocent people are dying. We must help the Iraqi people,” they said. “What is going on and what we watch on the news is disgusting.”
