Hundreds of candlelight vigils calling for an end to the war in Iraq got underway in a national effort spurred by one mother's anti-war demonstration near President George W Bush's ranch.
Cindy Sheehan, who has become the icon of the anti-war movement since she started a protest on August 6 in memory of her son Casey, who died in Iraq last year, urged Wednesday's vigils.
Sheehan says she will camp outside Bush's ranch until his month-long vacation ends or he meets with her and other grieving families.
Bush has said he sympathises with Sheehan but has made no indication he will meet with her. Two top Bush administration officials talked to Sheehan the day she started her camp, and she and other families met with Bush shortly after her son's death.
More than 1,600 vigils were planned from coast to coast, according to the organisers, liberal advocacy groups MoveOn.org Political Action, TrueMajority and Democracy for America.
A large vigil was also set at Paris' Peace Wall, a glass monument near the Eiffel Tower that says "peace" in 32 languages.
As the sun set in Crawford, about 100 protesters lit candles and placed them in plastic cups to shield them from the breeze. They gathered around a wooden, flag-draped coffin.
In Concord, New Hampshire, about 150 people stood shoulder-to-shoulder Wednesday outside the Statehouse holding candles and signs supporting Sheehan.
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