More than 1,000 protesters in Detroit, Mich., on Monday called on the U.S. government to protect Iraq's Christians.

The march came in response to last month's attack by insurgents on a Baghdad church that left 58 people dead.

The crowd gathered outside the McNamara Federal Building in downtown Detroit and called for an "end to the genocide" against Iraq's Christian community. Detroit has a large number of Iraqi refugees.

"We hear a lot of people talking but nothing ever gets done," said Andre Anton, of Farmington Hills, one of the rally organizers told The Detroit Free Press. "Religious and ethnic minorities are not a priority."

Protesters held signs with messages that read "66 Churches Bombed in Iraq Since '03" and "U.S. Gov't You Have Made the World Miss Saddam -- Shame on You."

At a news conference before the rally, U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, called the church killings "despicable" actions. He said the U. S. government has to develop a comprehensive policy that will protect Christians in Iraq.

"We have to step up and step up and be firm." he said.

A similar protest was also held in Chicago, Ill.

In Egypt, Coptic Christians held a candlelight vigil for the victims in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Cairo.