WASHINGTON, March 17: Major peace groups in the United States issued a national call on Monday for non-violent direct action beginning immediately to step up peace protests.

Massive civil disobedience actions are planned in Washington at the Capitol beginning on Monday, said a joint statement. Protests will also be held in New York at the United Nations and across the United States, the statement said.

“We call upon the American people to rise up in the millions with calls, letters, faxes, e-mails, visit-ins and non-violent civil disobedience demanding that the US Congress assert its Constitutional duty,” said Kelly Campbell, co-director of September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, who was arrested last Thursday during a demonstration at the Capitol.

“Only the US Congress can declare war. The Bush administration must be stopped,” she said.

Peace activists also reminded leaders of the United States, Britain, Spain, and Portugal that a pre-emptive strike against Iraq would be in violation of both US and international law.

They said that Sunday’s four-nation Atlantic summit showed no regard to the world public opinion while declaring its intention to go to war against Iraq. It also showed no respect to “the United Nations, international law, and the US Constitution” that forbid pre-emptive attacks, the activists said.