Thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service Friday night at the Washington National Cathedral, kicking off a weekend of protests around the country to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Afterward, participants marched with battery-operated faux candles through snow and wind toward the White House, where police began arresting protesters shortly before midnight. Protest guidelines require demonstrators to continue moving while on the White House sidewalk, according to the Associated Press.

Christians Gather in D.C. to Protest War

Meanwhile back in Alabama, the Alabama Peace and Justice Coalition, made up of eight peace organizations from around the state, plans a number of local protests over the next few days to "demand that the U.S. act now to end the war."

They are being held in solidarity with the huge peace actions being held in Washington, D.C. and more than 1,000 other cities across the U.S. For more information about those events, go to UnitedForPeace.Org.
 
Auburn 

Monday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m., the Alliance for Peace and Justice will hold a vigil commemorating 4th anniversary of the Iraq invasion at Toomer's Corner (Magnolia and N. College). Contact Michael Mulvaney, mulvamj@auburn.edu or 203-948-8803. More info at PeaceEagle.org.
 
Birmingham
 
Monday, March 19  from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Birmingham Speaks Out says Stop The Escalation, Support Our Troops, at the Five Points Fountain, 20th St and Magnolia Ave. There will be vigil speakers, singing and citizens time to call for peace. Sponsors include: MoveOn.org, Birmingham One Corps, Pax Christi and Birmingham Peace Project, Endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America/Democracy for America. Contact Sharron Williams at sawart@bellsouth.net.
 
Huntsville  
 
Saturday, March 17  from 11 a.m. to noon, the North Alabama Peace Network will hold a peace rally in solidarity with the March On The Pentagon taking place in Washington, D.C.., at the corner of Whitesburg Ave. and Airport Rd.
 
Monday, March 19  from 4 to 5 p.m., the North Alabama Committee for Nonviolent Action Occupation Project will hold a peace rally in front of Rep. Bud Cramer's office at 200 Pratt Ave.  (corner of Pratt and Meridian).
 
Monday, March 19  from 5 to 7 p.m., the North Alabama Peace Network will hold an End the War Rally at Wellman Park, in Five Points (corner of Pratt and Andrew Jackson Way).

Contact: Tom Moss, 256-468-5314 cell, NAPN@knology.net  or Linda Haynes, 256-429-8639 cell, lahaynes@knology.net.

Mobile
 
Saturday, March 17  from noon to 3 p.m., the Mobile Citizens for Peace and Mobile Chapter of Veterans for Peace
will rally at Midtown Mobile Park (intersection of Government St. and Airport Blvd.).

Sunday, March 25, the Mobile Citizens for Peace and Mobile Chapter of Veterans for Peace and National Veterans for Peace will caravan to a peace rally in Midtown Mobile Park (intersection of Government St. and Airport Blvd.).

The National Veterans for Peace Caravan is starting from North Carolina headed for a hurricane Katrina rebuilding project in coastal Mississippi.  They will stop at the gates of several military bases across the southeast. On this day, March 25, they will stop in Mobile.
 
After the rally at the park, the groups will go to the local office of congressman Jo Bonner in Mobile. Since last July Citizens for Peace has been requesting a meeting with him, but he never finds the time. So people he claims to represent but won't speak with are going to his office anyway - without an appointment.
                  
Contact: Fairlie Schreiber, president, Mobile Citizens for Peace, 251-450-5970 (w)   251-645-8539  (h), drunderhill@yahoo.com.
 
Mobile Resist, composed mostly of students and recent graduates of the University of South Alabama in Mobile, has a vanload of members driving to Washington, D.C., for the demonstration and march on Saturday, March 17.  Contact Patrick Aubrey, 251-709-8507,  numutke324@yahoo.com.
 
Montgomery
 
Monday, March 19  at 6 p.m., MoveOn Members in Montgomery will hold a candlelight vigil to “Stop the Escalation, Bring the Troops Home Safely and End the War," at 1000 E. Fairview Ave. (at Woodley Rd in Old Cloverdale)/ The vigil will honor American soldiers who were wounded or killed in Iraq through a reading of personal accounts written by family members of those who have died. Details and signup at http://pol.moveon.org/event/events/event.html?event_id=34827.

Saturday, March 24  at 4:30 p.m., the Montgomery Peace Project will show films and have a discussion at the Civil Rights Memorial Center, 400 Washington Avenue. The Montgomery Peace Project is hosting the National Veterans for Peace convoy which is traveling through the south to promote Appeal for Redress. Contact Valerie Downes, 334-462-9522, valerie.downes@splcenter.org.

Oneonta    
 
Monday, March 19  from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., the Blount County Committee for Peace and Justice will hold a vigil to Observe 4th Anniversary of Iraq War at the Blount County Courthouse. Wear black and bring candles. They have permission to use the parking spaces in front of the courthouse to place our sandwich boards, which will have each year's total of the dead (Iraqi, American: active military, contractors, reporters) and they will read names of Alabamainans who have been killed, including one Blount Countian. Contact Sara Rose at 205-429-3088, or Morris Gardner 205-681-4928, or e-mail bpeace@urisp.net.

Tuscaloosa     

Monday, March 19 at 4:30 p.m., the Tuscaloosa Peace Project and MoveOn will hold a vigil commemorating the 4th anniversary of the Iraq war at Denny Chimes on the University of Alabama campus. Contact David Lowe, (205) 246-6126 (cell), caple66wood@gmail.com.
 
Tuesday, March 20 at noon, the Students for a Democratic Society will hold a peace rally at Denny Chimes on the University of Alabama campus. Contact Chapin Gray, 251-605-7780, chapinrose@gmail.com.