This morning, Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA), John Lewis (D-GA), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and activists Save Darfur Coalition President Jerry Fowler, Enough Project co-founder John Prendergast and Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism were arrested for civil disobedience outside of the Sudanese Embassy while protesting the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
The AP quotes Representative Ellison:
Ellison says it is wrong to deny aid to what he calls “the most vulnerable people on our planet.”
The Washington Post quotes Representative Edwards:
“I thought it was pretty important to join with my colleagues in saying this is not acceptable in a civil society,” Edwards said in an interview following her release. “These are issues I’ve cared about for a long time, long before I came into Congress.”
The Hill newspaper quotes Representative McGovern:
“President Bashir has a choice,” McGovern said at the protest. “He can choose to let the humanitarian groups return; he can choose to end the violence and the killing; and he can choose serious negotiations for a just and lasting peace. Or he can continue to commit crimes against humanity — crimes with which he is already charged — and charges that will one day catch up with him and bring him down.”
Save Darfur Coalition President Jerry Fowler said:
“We know President Obama and members of his administration care passionately about ending the Darfur crisis and promoting peace in Sudan,” said coalition president Jerry Fowler. “As President Obama nears his 100th day in office this week, he can demonstrate that Sudan is a strategic priority for the United States by committing to build a multilateral coalition for peace and investing in the diplomacy necessary to achieve an equitable and lasting solution for Darfuris and all Sudanese.”
Check out the blogs of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Enough Project for more photos and their take on the event.
Photos by Mark Lotwis and Martha Heinemann Bixby for the Save Darfur Coalition.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: action, California, Congress, Darfur, genocide, Genocide Prevention Month, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, President Obama, Sudan, Sudanese Embassy, take action, Washington DC
brady01 says:
FYI, Rabbi Saperstein is from the Religious Action Center OF REFORM Judaism, not the “Religious Action Center for Reformed Judaism”