ANTI-WAR protestors will bring their campaign to the streets of Canterbury to highlight fears about a possible war with Iraq.

The East Kent Stop The War coalition has organised a march/carnival through the city centre to the Buttermarket from 5pm on Thursday, October 31.

Coalition spokesman Bunny la Roche said: "We're calling for people to dress up in Hallowe'en costume and make this a carnival of resistance."

Other activities will be going on at the University of Kent from midday, with an address given by a group of Palestinians on how the occupation of their land is affecting their lives.

Unison branch chairman Dave Carr helped arrange the visit after traveling to Palestine and witnessing the problems there first hand. He said: "We were extremely shocked. The health service is under siege and nurses and doctors are being harassed by the Israeli army.

"We think it's important for ordinary Palestinians to come to the UK and tell ordinary Britons what's happening in their country."

Canterbury MP Julian Brazier said he welcomed any contact with the Palestinians, for whom he had considerable sympathy, but thought this was the wrong time to be protesting about possible action against Sadam Hussein.

"There is no war yet and in the last three or four days it's been suggested that there is a much better chance that we are going to get UN resolution which will result in UN weapons inspectors going into Iraq," he said.

"It would be a major triumph for the world, to get weapons inspectors in and disarm the weapons which have already been used to kill many thousands of people.

"The protestors should ask themselves whether Sadam Hussein would be coming to heel had it not been for the real threat of war."