Thank you for the wise and thoughtful Voice of The Argus (Friday, November 1) on the anti-war demonstration in Brighton last Thursday.

I was at the gathering because I wholeheartedly agree that if the US and the UK were to attack Iraq it would be an act of terrorism motivated to a large extent by concerns about oil and territorial control.

I also believe that for years the Iraqi people have suffered terribly as a result of the West's sanctions policy.

Imagine what it must be like for them now, waiting for the bombs to fall and an invasion to take place, with infrastructures and institutions still not restored since the last war.

To put a whole nation through such suffering for years is inhuman and, while Saddam Hussein is responsible for great inhumanity, the Government is implicated and certainly does not have my support for its policies.

I realise it was frustrating for people to be caught up in the disruption created by the activists but this is nothing compared to what the oppressed people of Iraq suffer on a daily basis.

I will continue to support Sussex Action for Peace and any other organisation committed to non-violent resistance to the Government's warmongering.

When I voted for a socialist government, I expected energy and resources to go into diplomatic solutions and radical efforts to reduce the injustices that lead to conflict, both in our society and in our interconnected world.

What a disappointment, Tony Blair.

-Pat Bowen, Livingstone Road, Hove