PLANS are being formulated to hold a vigil for the people of Syria if Parliament votes to extend airstrikes to the country this week.

On Wednesday MPs are due to vote on whether or not to back UK air strikes against so-called Islamic State in Syria.

If parliament votes for military action, people from all political parties and organisations are invited to gather on the High Street in Stroud from 12noon till 1pm on Saturday December 5.

The community vigil will be held as a mark of solidarity with the Syrian people and opposition to UK airstrikes.

John Marjoram, Green district councillor and veteran anti-war campaigner, called on all those opposed to bombing Syria to join.

“We believe that you cannot defeat terrorism by bombing,” he said. “All this does in these situations is create further misery, hate and a desire for revenge - exactly what Isis and other terrorist organisation breed on.

“If we want to defeat terrorism, we have to ‘follow the money’ stop their source of finance as well as their access to the lucrative business of the arms trade.

He appealed to people to bring their own banners and spread the word.

David Cameron is looking to secure a clear majority in the vote after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn granted his MPs a free vote on the matter.

The Prime Minister had said he would only call a vote when he could be confident of a win.

He needs enough Labour MPs to back military intervention to make up for Conservative MPs who oppose the action.

But there is speculation whether he has a majority after the Labour leadership said 75 per cent of party members it polled over the weekend had opposed bombing.

Conservative MP for Stroud Neil Carmichael has said he would only vote for airstrikes if the PM’s argument includes an assessment of how the country can be led to ‘peace and reconstruction’ - and the return of the displaced Syrian refugees.

The Prime Minister said the vote would be held to ‘answer the call’ from the UK's allies, because IS "is a threat to our country and this is the right thing to do".

“Isis poses a very direct threat to the United Kingdom – and as we have already seen in Iraq, British airstrikes can play a key role in degrading them; but they are only part of a comprehensive strategy for Syria,” he said.

“This strategy must include the international community working together to find a political solution to the turmoil in Syria; a continuation of our extensive humanitarian efforts; and a clear commitment to post-conflict reconstruction of Syria.”

But opponents have seriously questioned his claims that there are 70,000 non-extremist ground troops in Syria that could reclaim and hold the ground won back from airstrikes.

While some question whether bombing could even contain Isis, other argue it will inevitably kill civilians, generate more support for IS, worsen the number of refugees fleeing Syria, and lead to another failed UK bombing campaign in the Middle East.

Click here to see politicians in Stroud make their cases for and against UK airstrikes.

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