A silent candlelight vigil for universal peace brought together approximately 40 people Monday night in front of city hall.

The vigil was organized in response to burgeoning U.S. plans for military action in Syria after evidence showed the Syrian government used chemical weapons against civilians during the country’s ongoing civil war.

On Monday, people in cities around the U.S. organized demonstrations against military action by holding vigils for peace.

The Bainbridge Island event was one of several in the Western Washington region. It attracted young and old alike to stand together for peace.

When asked why she participated in the event, author Rebecca Wells, recalled a poem by Cecily Jones called “Let Memory be the Light.”

She recited,

“Let memory be the light for both of you

so the red line drawn to quell Damascus

may not be widened into scarlet lanes of blood

along the crimson roads of death throughout a land.

Let memory be the light for both of you.”

After the event, participants were invited to join in song and dance for peace by artists Rick Barrenger and Elizabeth Dequine.