THROUGH your columns I should like to thank Tony Buckland of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) for his contribution to the 'Thought for the Week' section in the Journal of November 22.

The extract from the Quaker Peace Testimony was so eloquent and uplifting and heartening at a time when so many Christians fail to respond to the message of Christ to proclaim peace and non-violence in the face of vested political and religious interests. Christ's message of love is a powerful response to violence but doesn't come easily or immediately to people at a time like this.

I was happy to find a strong contingent of Quakers in the march and rally for peace in London last Sunday (November 18). I travelled with a coach load of people from the South West Midlands. At Trafalgar Square we mingled with a broad spectrum of concerned people of many faiths or none. At 4.10pm it was the end of the fast-time for Muslims observing Ramadan and it was very moving to see Muslims offering everyone bottles of water, dates and other fruit to share with them as we heard the call to prayer ring out.

There were several speakers between 3pm and 5pm, the crowd of 100,000 still filing into the square from the procession from Hyde Park which started at 1pm, unfortunately missed some of the speakers. Unable to walk that distance I travelled to Trafalgar Square by bus and heard all the speakers. The ones who stood out for me, as being the most incisively and inspirationally articulate were, in the main, women! - Surprisingly Bianca Jagger, Caroline Lucas (MEP), Carol Naughton (CND) and a 20 year old Afghan student from Edinburgh speaking in public for the first time. Tony Benn excelled himself and was given what might be called a triple standard ovation - except that people were already standing, except for the disabled. He repeated the message he had given in a tabloid newspaper immediately after the terrorist attack on September 11 - that "this crisis must be solved by the wisdom of the World, not by its rage" and that if you want to eliminate violence you have to look at its causes. Whatever we do we should do it within the framework of the United Nations. Crusade is a dangerous word to use in this situation.

MONICA ELABOR, Croft Road, Evesham.