AIRLINE CATERING CREW ATTEMPTS TO OPEN A B737-300 CABIN DOOR FOR SERVICING AFTER DOORS HAVE BEEN ARMED FOR DEPARTURE.

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WE BOARDED THE PLANE IN PORTLAND; AND IT MUST HAVE BEEN THERE FOR A LITTLE WHILE BECAUSE IT WAS EMPTY WHEN WE GOT ON; AND THE CLEANERS HAD JUST LEFT. THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY WAS BOARDED A SHORT TIME BEFORE DEP; BUT BECAUSE OF THE ACTIVITY DURING BOARDING; I WAS NOT AWARE OF WHETHER THEY HAD LOADED THE AFT GALLEY YET. AT DEP TIME; THE AGENT CHKED WITH THE COCKPIT AND PURSER; AND CLOSED THE DOOR. I MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT 'ARM DOORS FOR DEP;' AND ARMED BOTH FORWARD DOORS. AS FLT ATTENDANT #2 CAME UP TO HER DEMO POS; WE HEARD SCREAMING FROM THE BACK OF THE AIRPLANE. FLT ATTENDANT #2 WENT BACK; AND THEN INDICATED TO ME THAT THE CATERERS WERE TRYING TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE; THEN ASSISTED FLT ATTENDANT #3 IN HOLDING THE DOOR CLOSED. I CALLED THE COCKPIT TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON; ALTHOUGH IT APPEARED THAT THE SCREAMING HAD HELPED TO PREVENT THE SLIDE DEPLOYMENT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 726550: THE PURSER MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT TO ARM DOORS FOR DEP; SO WE ARMED BOTH AFT DOORS. I WAS GETTING MY DEMO EQUIP OUT OF THE COMPARTMENT ABOVE THE GALLEY AND I NOTICED THE DOOR HANDLE MOVING AND LOOK OUT AND SAW A GALLEY GUY THROUGH THE PORT HOLE WINDOW AND SCREAMED 'NO NO STOP STOP' WHILE I WAS TRYING TO DISARM THE DOOR. IT WAS SO LOUD THAT MY FLYING PARTNER CAME RUNNING FROM THE FRONT OF FIRST CLASS. THE DOOR WAS OPENED ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE WAY BUT IT DID NOT DEPLOY AND I WAS ABLE TO DISARM IT AND THEN THE GALLEY PEOPLE CAME IN AND CHANGED THE GALLEY BUT WE REALLY DID NOTHING AS WE DID NOT NEED ANYTHING.