Sinn Fein President Mr Gerry Adams today said the loyalist protests at Ardoyne Road could not be justified but expressed his belief that they did not represent the majority of unionists in the city.
After a meeting with parents of the children at Holy Cross Primary, Mr Adams said: "Even if the blockade was an entirely peaceable one, even if the blockade was a silent blockade it would still be wrong.
"Some people have insisted on a right to protest ... There is no right to protest against children."
He also praised the parents and youngsters for continuing to deal with the situation, saying their courage and resilience was remarkable given the pressure they have been under these months.
Mr Adams offered to meet unionists to discuss the ongoing protest outside Holy Cross.
"I am quite prepared to meet and listen to anyone from within unionism . . . Those who are saying that they are doing what they are doing because no one will listen to them, well I am prepared to listen to them.
"If they don't want to speak to me then they can hardly say no one will listen."
Mr Adams today also vowed he will continue with a trip to Cuba despite the controversy over three IRA suspects currently being held in South America.
The Sinn Fein leader has come under fierce pressure to cancel the planned visit after the trio were arrested in Colombia and charged with training left-wing guerrillas in the use of explosives.
But he insisted: "I have a long-standing commitment to go to Cuba and I intend to go there."
PA