PEACEFUL demonstrators from Buckinghamshire were among thousands of demonstrators who were stopped from protesting at the G8 meeting in Genoa last week.

People hoping to protest peacefully at the summit were turned back as violence marred demonstrations.

Marion Lyon, her husband Andrew and mother Rosemary, from High Wycombe, were among hundreds of protesters who travelled to Genoa only to find it was impossible to enter the city.

She said: "Some people felt angry and felt they had a right to protest, but there was a mixture of anger and disappointment."

Mrs Lyon said she was frustrated by the violence, adding: "Peaceful protests will not be able to take place in the same way again and it separates leaders from the people."

Also turned away was Amita Arya, the Oxfam representative for Bucks who travelled to Genoa with fellow Oxfam campaigners.

They were undeterred and 150 campaigners gathered in a peaceful vigil at the church of San Lorenzo in central Milan at the same time as they had hoped to be marching through Genoa's streets.

Amita said: "Last year G8 promised a global plan for education. In Genoa they said how to accomplish it. By this time next year we'll know if they will pay their share."