Rep. John Lewis arrested at Darfur protest in D.C.
April 27, 2009 at 2:26 pm by Thomas Wheatley in News
Earlier today, ABC News’ Jake Tapper reported U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta, would join protesters at a Save Darfur Coalition rally in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Well, the civil rights leader and longtime statesman was there, alright. And he got arrested.
From the AJC‘s Bob Keefe in D.C.:
Georgia Rep. John Lewis and five other members of Congress were arrested for civil disobedience as part of a protest against the humanitarian policies of the Sudanese government in Darfur.
Lewis, a civil rights leader, and others were arrested after crossing a police line and refusing to leave the steps of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington during the protest. The Democrat from Atlanta was expected to be released from a Washington police precinct within a few hours, said Ann Brown, a spokeswoman for the Save Darfur coalition.
…
“We cannot stand by, watch and wait,” he said. “Almost 10 years ago, my hometown of Atlanta welcomed some of the Lost Boys, refugees of the civil war in the Sudan. These young men stole our hearts. … how many more have to pay this heavy price?
(Photo by Joeff Davis)
April 27th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
More of us need to join this struggle to end this terrible issue going on in Sudan. I applaud Congressman Lewis and the other parties who protested this issue. I think a big one million people march needs to go into effect in our country’s capital to march to the Sudanese Embassey to protest against the human rights issue going on in Darfur! I hope no charges are pressed on the Honorable Congressman he was just trying to bring more awareness for the suffering abroad…
April 27th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
As Mahmood Mandami and many others have pointed out, the casualty figures coming from Darfur have been wildly inflated for years. The whole “Save Darfur” Movement is a lying scam on the part of the foreign policy establishment to get us into a war over Sudan’s water, oil and natural resources.
John Lewis should be protesting against what’s going on in the Congo, where the death toll is twenty to a hundred times that in Darfur. But then Congo is not really a genocide, because unlike Darfur, where the Chinese are pumping the oil, all the profits in the Congo flow westward. John should do some homework.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:02 am
I’m so proud of my Congressman. He could have rested on his laurels all this time, but no…Saturday he rides in the Inman Park Festival Parade to greet his people, then gets arrested in DC a few days later to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Darfur (note: post Holocaust, we Westerners say “never again” and yet…?) – and then this Saturday he will show up dutifully to the HRC Dinner in downtown Atlanta as he always does to show unity for the gay/lesbian struggle to achieve equal rights. I’m so proud of my Congressman.