Cries of "send peacekeepers not weapons" broke the sleepy atmosphere of Murray Hill Friday as Amnesty International wrapped up a week-long campaign of activism with a vigil for the victims of human rights abuses in Darfur.

The protest, held outside the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations at 35th Street and 1st Avenue, was aimed at encouraging the Chinese government, who have allied themselves economically with the Sudanese regime, to put more pressure on the government to end atrocities in Darfur.

"We specially tailor these events for student activists," said Denise Bell, an Amnesty International Sudan Country Specialist, who helped to organize the event.

Bell estimated that about 200 people attended the vigil, which included students from Columbia, Villanova University, New York University, and various New York City high schools.

Bell also mentioned that Amnesty International was meeting that day with officials from the Chinese embassy in Washington, and that she and some members of local amnesty chapters would be meeting with officials from the Permanent Mission later in the week to discuss the situation.

Isaac Rowlett, an NYU student and member of STAND, a campus activist group committed to ending the genocide in Darfur, spoke to the assembled crowd.

Rowlett said that the protest was "extremely important because we are making the crucial link with China," referring to China's abstention from voting on U.N. Security Council resolution 1706, which would have put U.N. peacekeepers on the ground in Darfur.

Amnesty also circulated a petition through the assembled crowd, which called on the Chinese President Hu Jintao to increase the political pressure on the Sudanese.

China has an extensive investment in Sudan's oil sector, and on a recent visit to Africa, Hu promised an interest-free loan for the Sudanese to build a new presidential palace.

Sharon Silber, of the New York City Coalition for Darfur, also spoke at the vigil. Silber will be meeting with local congressman and chair of the House Ways and Means committee Charlie Rangel, D-Harlem, to discuss proposed legislation that would close U.S. ports to goods, including crude oil, coming from Sudan.

Clare Garvie, BC '07 and a member of Amnesty, was one of the volunteers who helped plan the event.

"I think targeting China is one of the smartest ways to go," she said, referencing the fact that China is one of the biggest importers of crude oil from Sudan.

Bell also noted that support for this cause comes from far and wide.

"People always ask me, 'have you made a difference?' [New York Times columnist] Kristof and I have the same position, absolutely," she said.