Last night US Rep Jim McGovern, who was arrested earlier this year for protesting at the Sudanese embassy, spoke in Worcester about Darfur. Telegram:
Before Mr. McGovern’s speech, Clark security police handcuffed and carried from the hall an anti-Zionist demonstrator after he allegedly refused to stop passing out literature. Peter Lowney, 36, of Valdez, Ark., was taken to Worcester Police Headquarters and charged with trespassing, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Another anti-Zionist demonstrator, David Rolde a member of the Green Rainbow Party of Massachusetts, agreed to leave the hall. Picketing outside Higgins, Mr. Rolde said they were there to express opposition to a U.S.-U.N.-Zionist invasion of Sudan “for oil and uranium.†A third picketed on Main Street across from Clark, which she described in her placard as a “fascist university.â€
The protestors have posted their own account at Indymedia.
The Green-Rainbow Party is mentioned with good reason: the GRP has a statement on Darfur. The statement opposes both military and financial action. Not sure where that leaves you.
Personal observations: I’m not buying the Zionist angle; I’d take the arguments of the protestors more seriously if they were also working to end the violence in Darfur; I wish the GRP would stay away from foreign policy issues, and focus on Massachusetts. I’m currently registered GRP, but this sort of nonsense makes me want to change that.
It seems like the GRP is maybe more interested in opposing the U.S. than in stopping violence. What’s up with the anti-Zionist angle? Is the connection there that Jews were victims of genocide, and the blacks in Darfur are (in the GRP’s thinking) claiming to be victims of genocide, so they must be in cahoots with each other, and that can’t be any good? Isn’t it something how similar some leftist extremists and right-wing extremists end up being?
FYI, Rolde wrote a very interesting summary of the situation here:
http://bridgenews.org/documents/roldesudan
Tha Bridge, thanks for the link.
Rolde titles one section: “Sudan has long been a target of attacks by the USA and Israel.”
But he doesn’t document any attacks against Sudan by Israel.
Another odd statement:
Oh, c’mon, the Darfur situation has been mostly ignored by the mainstream press. Was there ever a time when Darfur was getting even 1% the attention of Iraq?
I think these kind of statements undermine the credibility of the article.
Pete Lowney and David Rolde are seriously disturbed individuals. I have written a heavily researched article describing their strange relationship with the activist community, and their protective contacts at the Boston Indymedia Center.
The story is called: A Proud Lie. You can read it at:
http://www.contextflexed.com/storyproudlie.html