The atmosphere was charged when Premier Pamela Gordon and Opposition leader Jennifer Smith squared off yesterday in front of hundreds of people.

But it was not the long-awaited party debate that brought the political foes together, and spectators were hyped with the message from PRIDE to stamp out drugs and not with election fever.

About 300 students from around the Island cheered the launch of Red Ribbon Week, an international drug prevention celebration brought to Bermuda by PRIDE organiser Danielle Riviere.

Ms Riviere encouraged residents in Bermuda to join the 120 million people around the world taking part in the week-long campaign by wearing red clothes, sporting a red ribbon on their lapel or decorating their house with red.

Party leaders at the launch pledged their support to the campaign.

But National Liberal Party leader Charles Jeffers got the crowd's biggest cheer when he urged the Premier and Ms Smith to work together to fight the spread of drugs.

"It is important that drug prevention transcends the polarisation of party politics,'' he said.

"When it comes to the crusade against drugs we are all on the same team -- the Bermuda team.

"We are all affected by the scourge of drugs so we must all commit to showing our support and that's exactly what this campaign is about.'' Ms Gordon said a Letter to the Editor in The Royal Gazette recently had upset her by suggesting that a "war against drugs in Bermuda was a strike against the black man''.

"There is something very wrong if that's the perception. Being drug free means you have the best possible chance in life and it doesn't matter if you are black or white.'' Ms Gordon told PRIDE supporters later that although she wished she could say drugs had not affected her own family, she saw the terrible impact of drugs when her own brother was caught in their downward spiral.

She urged all Bermudians to participate in Red Ribbon Week and "thereby make a visible statement that we are strongly committed to a drug-free community''.

Highlights of Red Ribbon Week include Mini Olympics Family Fun Day at Kindley Community Playing Field today, Hand Print Pledge Day at banks and post offices on Monday and Wednesday's Wear Red Day.

Supporters are also invited to join the grand finale, a candle-lit procession through the streets of Hamilton at 6 p.m. on Friday.