Update: Medea Benjamin Arrested For Disrupting Iraqi Prime Minister

[sabra]

http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0726-16.htm



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Benjamin, 54, of San Francisco, CA, is currently on her 23rd day of a long-term fast for peace called the Troops Home FAST (www.troopshomefast.org). She is charged with disrupting Congress. Whether Benjamin will receive a simple citation or will be booked at jail is still being determined by Capitol police. If she is not booked, Medea Benjamin will be available for comment and interviews. If you would like to speak with her, please call her cell phone <edit>.

This disruption follows two days of requests for a meeting with Prime Minister al-Maliki. Since al-Maliki's arrival in Washington DC, women and men who are fasting for peace as part of CODEPINK's Troops Home FAST have been trying to arrange a meeting with the prime minister and the Iraqi Embassy. Fasters have been waiting for a response to a letter requesting a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss an Iraqi reconciliation plan that includes a timetable for the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Iraq. Benjamin stood outside the Iraqi embassy for the past two days waiting for a response to this letter.

Yesterday evening, fasters were ordered by police to clear the sidewalk in front of the embassy in preparation for al-Maliki's arrival. Five fasters refused to leave, thus risking arrest. The Iraqi Ambassador spoke with Benjamin by cell phone and asked that she and the fasters move aside, in exchange for the possibility that she and peace mom Cindy Sheehan would get a personal audience with al-Maliki during the evening reception. Sheehan and Benjamin also agreed to break their fast if granted a meeting with the Prime Minister. He promised to call should any challenges arise and this not be possible. However, Benjamin was denied entry to the embassy that evening, and waited for an hour outside, where she watched the prime minister arrive and leave without acknowledgement of their agreement.

After witnessing Benjamin's disruption, Maxine Waters, member of Congress and chair of the Out of Iraq Caucus, stated, "We are going to witness more and more public outrage as the violence in Iraq escalates in this ongoing occupation."

[mike_c]

1. Medea Benjamin is one of my personal heros....

She is a great American. :patriot:

[Laughing Mirror]

3. One of mine too

Like you say, she is indeed a great American.

[izzie]

2. I used to think speaking to Congress was really special

But it seems Bush is using it for something else. Carl's work? I used to think Nixon and then the blue dress really made the office a laughing joke but Bush has out done both of those two and besides the dress, Clinton was not a bad President.