October
4, 2023
Washington,
D.C. – A group of 50 activists and Vermont constituents staged a sit-in inside
Senator Bernie Sanders’ office on Wednesday, demanding the senator to call for
peace and diplomacy in Ukraine instead of more weapons and war. The sit-in
resulted in the arrest of 11 activists, including an 89-year-old CODEPINK peace
activist.
The
group was joined by Green Party Presidential Candidate Dr. Cornel West in the
Senate lobby for a prayer vigil before the sit-in. The prayer vigil and sit-in
were part of a week of action that included an antiwar rally on Tuesday night
featuring Dr. West, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary;
Claudia de la Cruz, Co-Executive Director of The People’s Forum; Lee Camp,
American comedian, writer, podcaster, news journalist; Medea Benjamin,
co-founder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange; and Eugene Puryear, American
journalist, activist, and host on Breakthrough News.
“We
need Bernie to provide leadership to put a stop to the US funding of the
Ukraine war now. Use the money for healthcare, not warfare,” said Burlington
resident James Marc Leas.
Crystal
Zevon, an artist and CODEPINK peace activist from Barnet, VT, expressed her
disappointment in Senator Sanders, who has voted for more weapons to Ukraine
and even criticized Democrats who called for peace talks. “Yes, Bernie should
condemn the Russian invasion, but he should also be calling for a negotiated
end to this brutal war,” said Zevon.
The
group carried signs in support of peace talks and negotiations, including one
quote from the Senator himself in which he previously called for a diplomatic
solution.
Jodie
Evans, Co-Founder of CODEPINK, reminded Senator Sanders of his antiwar roots,
“We are showing up to remind Bernie of the values he espoused that made his
name what it is. And call on him to stand for peace, to call for diplomacy and
to again lead for peace,” said Evans.
Medea
Benjamin, Co-Founder of CODEPINK and author of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of
a Senseless Conflict, expressed her disappointment in the lack of Democrats
calling for peace talks. “I am appalled that NO Democrats are saying what the
majority of American people are saying: We need peace talks, not more war. This
is NOT a MAGA issue or a Republican issue but an issue of human survival to
stop WWIII and possibly a nuclear war. We need Bernie to be with us on the side
of peace,” said Benjamin.
The
activists are urging Senator Sanders to call for the flow of weapons to stop
and the leadership of Ukraine, Russia, and the US to sit at the negotiating
table and end the horrific war.
No comments:
Post a Comment