NEW YORK, July 21 (Xinhuanet) -- An anti-war group that had been pushing to stage a huge demonstration in Central Park during the Republican National Convention has agreed to accept an alternative location suggested by the New York City authorities, the group announced Wednesday.

    Bill Dobbs, spokesman for the United for Peace and Justice, said the group felt "forced" by police officials to go along with the city's plan because of time restraints.

    Under the compromise plan, demonstrators will march up Seventh Avenue, across 34th Street past Madison Square Garden, the convention site, and then continue down the West Side Highway. The march is set for Aug. 29, the day before the convention opens.

    The United for Peace and Justice, which applied for a permit over a year ago, has been engaged in a public struggle with the city for months.

    The Parks Department denied their original request to rally on Central Park's Great Lawn, saying the projected crowd of 250,000 people would damage the grass.

    Both sides at times have accused the other of stalling negotiations. The anti-war group has staged protests at City Hall,and on one occasion sent some of its members to meet Mayor Bloomberg as he arrived for work in the morning.

    Meanwhile, the city is appealing against a court ruling restricting police tactics for controlling protesters during the convention. A federal judge ruled Monday that police may not search demonstrators' bags unless they can show a specific threat to public safety.

    Officers will be allowed to conduct less intrusive searches, such as those using metal detecting wands. The decision also requires that protesters be allowed to move freely in and out of metal pens used to contain them.

    The New York Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit over police tactics at anti-war demonstrations last year. The group claimed victory with the ruling.

    A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday showed that 75 percent of voters said the anti-war group should have been allowed to protest in Central Park. Enditem