AROUND 40 anti-war protesters gathered in Stroud High Street this morning to voice their opposition to Western intervention in Syria.

Organised by Stroud Against The Cuts, the protest saw demonstrators holding banners and placards aloft calling on Stroud MP Neil Carmichael to vote against any military action and urging the Government to spend public money on ‘welfare not warfare’.

The US, Britain and France are considering military strikes against the Assad regime in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack by Syrian government troops on rebel forces last week.

MPs will debate a motion in the House of Commons later today which calls for a ‘strong humanitarian response’ to the attack that ‘may, if necessary require military action that is legal, proportionate and focused on saving lives’.

However, the Government will not take a vote today on whether to intervene in the conflict following opposition from the Labour Party, which wanted UN weapons inspectors in the country to be able to complete their work before any final decision was made.

Earlier today, Stroud MP Neil Carmichael tweeted: "New Syria motion to Parliament rightly recongises the complexity and risks of military intervention and requires another vote after UN inspection."

Anti-war protesters are planning another demonstration outside the old Currys store in Stroud High Street at 11am on Saturday, August 31.

Chris Moore, who attended the protest on Thursday, said: "Any military intervention will be for the business and strategic interest of the US and British powers, and will not be about the interests of the Syrian people, so we have to oppose it."

Deputy mayor and Green Party district councillor John Marjoram, who also joined the protesters, said: "It seems we have learned nothing from the Iraq war - this will be an International tinder box."

A statement released by the Stop the War Coalition, said it strongly opposed any military attack on Syria.

"While we oppose all use of chemical weapons, the latest alleged such attack in Damascus should not be used as a pretext for further exacerbating an already bloody civil war," it said. 

"It seems that the Western governments have already made up their minds about this attack before it has even been reported on by UN weapons inspectors.

"They are demanding that ‘something must be done’ even though their record of ‘doing something’ has been nothing short of catastrophic."