NO WAR ON IRAQ - CANDLELIGHT VIGIL - Sunday 16 March, 7:00pm

Peace Action Wellington is inviting all people in the Wellington area to join people around the world today to protest against the imminent war on the Iraqi people with a candlelight vigil at the Cenotaph at 7:00pm on Sunday, March 16.

A United States Based organisation called MoveOn.org and the Win Without War coalition, together with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and many faith-based organisations, are calling for this vigil. Beginning in New Zealand, this will be a rolling wave of candlelight gatherings that will quickly cross the globe. Thousands of small groups around the world will be inspired to come together and stand for peace. Other vigils are planned in New Plymouth and Auckland. Families and individuals are invited to bring candles and signs. For more information, please contact Valerie Morse, 383-9315 or Valerie.morse@paradise.net.nz

BACKGROUND INFO

How to make your vigil a success

1) Bring: friends, candles for you and your friends, paper cups for your candles, and a lighter.

2) Call reporters and other media who you think might be interested in covering your vigil.

3) Follow the vigil ground rules:

This is a peaceful vigil, not a rally. The power of this event lies in its numbers and its silence. The tone of these vigils is somber and strong. Ignore counter protesters or hecklers. Inevitably, at a few events, a few counter protesters will show up, or a few people will turn up to give your group a hard time.

Remember:

"If you ignore them, they will go away." They are trying to get a reaction out of you. Don't give them one. Ignore them and watch them disappear.

Follow your coordinator's lead. The coordinator of the group is the person who first scheduled the vigil. If there's a problem that needs to be resolved or a decision that needs to be made, everyone should feel free to step up and show some leadership. However, in the absence of any formal decision making structure, we think it only makes sense to defer to the coordinator when there is difficulty in reaching consensus.

Take photos -- if you have a digital camera. Crop and resize your photos to fit on a Web page and send them in .jpg format to: photos@moveon.org

Original Call To Action

Dear MoveOn supporters around the world,

Please visit http://www.globalvigil.org and plan a candlelight vigil for peace in your area on Sunday, March 16 at 7 pm. MoveOn.org and the Win Without War coalition, together with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and many faith-based organizations, are calling this vigil, and we need your help.

Beginning in New Zealand, this will be a rolling wave of candlelight gatherings that will quickly cross the globe. It's up to you to make this happen. Today we are asking individuals, like you, to organize a vigil in each community. We're hoping that thousands of small groups around the world will be inspired to come together and stand for peace.

For more information about how to make this happen in your community and to join with millions of others around the globe, go to

http://www.globalvigil.org

It's time for the world to come together in this moment of darkness and rekindle the light of reason -- and of hope. It's time to renew our commitment to building a positive world for our children.

With your help, we will see the first candlelight vigil to sweep around the globe on the evening of March 16th. Together, we will lead the nations of the world away from an unnecessary war and toward a peaceful and prosperous future.

This is a key moment in history. Be a part of it. Go to:

http://www.globalvigil.org

Thank you,

-Wes Boyd, MoveOn.org Tom Andrews, Win Without War Tuesday March 11, 2003 P.S. You can make your local vigil as small or as big as you wish. The important thing is to act now and to add your efforts to the efforts of thousands of others around the world. Whether you plan a gathering with just your closest friends, or organize an event for thousands, you will be making a difference. Register your event on our web site above.

Immediately afterward, please report your vigil to our web site or to photos@moveon.org, with digital photographs if possible. If you know how, please crop and resize your photos to approximately 200h x 150v pixels and send them in .jpg format. Please include the city, location and country of your vigil. We will compile the reports and photos for the media.

P.P.S. Yesterday, we delivered to the 15 United Nations Security Council members anti-war comments from one million people around the world, gathered last week in just five days. 180 boxes of your petitions were delivered, which drew extensive media attention. It now appears that the Bush administration's resolution on Iraq will fail to garner Security Council support, and world public opinion has been a key part of this. Thank you!

ENDS

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