I attended the peace demonstration in Brighton on Friday night.

McDonald's did not need protecting because no protester attempted damage.

Nothing was thrown at the police. The demonstrators stood outside for only a few minutes, chanting and shouting.

When we arrived, a demonstrator with a megaphone emphasised this was a peaceful demonstration.

Yes, we gave the police the run-around, moving off in the opposite direction to them on several occasions.

It seemed to worry them they did not know which way we were heading.

Eventually, they forced us into a small area in Western Road and refused to let us leave.

They brought dogs, riot vans and police in riot gear to intimidate us. We were at no time told why we were being held.

There was no violence, in spite of snatch squads of police going into the crowd. I believe these tactics were a deliberate attempt to provoke a violent reaction from the peaceful crowd.

A few young children climbed on to some scaffolding but did no damage and were not asked to come down by the police.

An hour later, a policeman told us to leave peacefully or we would be arrested (we had been trying to leave for the previous hour).

However, the police would not let us through their lines (they said they had not had orders to let us go).

Then, after lots of pleading, some of us were allowed to leave.

I am not a student. I am a 53-year-old who was there with my husband and sons to protest at an unjust attack on another country.

This is the only means I have of expressing how I feel about the Government's actions regarding the war.

Perhaps Tony Blair is afraid of his countrymen.

-Jenny Pettit, Western Road, Sompting