The first shots of war may have swung public opinion marginally behind the coalition campaign, but in Sutton they have coincided with the birth of a peace movement.

Sutton for Peace and Justice's first meeting attracted more than 70 people on Friday, and after the summit the group put together a 12-strong organising committee to co-ordinate its anti-war campaign.

This Saturday, it will be holding a vigil in Sutton High Street and a meeting is planned for Friday, April 25.

In the meantime, the core group's youngest member 17-year-old St Philomena's pupil Dawn Mooney is hoping to speak at her school and at John Fisher about her opposition to Tony Blair and George Bush's attack on Iraq.

Former headteacher Saleh Mamon, who organised and chaired Friday's meeting, said: "People asked us why we should meet now when the attack on Iraq was underway. The Prime Minister has said that this war will shape politics for a generation and I agree with him."

He said the meeting had attracted a varied audience. "There were some heart-warming testimonies from people who were veterans of the British army.

"Pensioner Richard Crump gave a moving testimony and a young student from St Philomena's said she was incensed by the Prime Minister's pre-emption."

Ms Mooney said: "I've never felt as strongly about something as I have about the stupidity of this war. I'm hoping to give a talk at school on Friday and at John Fisher next week."

She, like Mr Mamon, attended the demonstration organised by the Stop the War Coalition on Saturday, which attracted depending on your source between 200,000 and 500,000 people.

According to Mr Mamon: "We had 10 people from Sutton there. I think the turnout was very good."

Kevin Willsher, from Sutton Oxfam, who spoke at Friday's meeting, said: "I doubt if we can stop the war but at the end of it the people of Iraq will be facing a massive humanitarian crisis. This needs to be addressed with the help of the UN, not the military."

The core group also includes Shafi Chowdhury, head of the Sutton Bangladeshi Welfare Association and member of the Muslim Council of Britain, who spoke in last week's Guardian of his fears that the current conflict could be interpreted as a clash of civilisations.

Mr Mamon, a member of the Surrey section of the Stop the War Coalition, added: "We are staging this campaign on a long-term basis. There is a very broad movement in Surrey Sutton has now joined in."

l The vigil takes place outside Marks & Spencer between 11am and 2pm.

March 27, 2003 10:00