Texas Congressman Arrested at D.C. Protest With Clooney
U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, was arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Friday morning, along with more than a dozen other protestors, including actor George Clooney.
A spokesman for the Secret Service said that the protesters arrested would be charged with disorderly crossing of a police line.
Green, along with fellow Democratic Congressmen James Moran, Jim McGovern and John Olver, was arrested while demonstrating against Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. The demonstrations were in response to accusations that al-Bashir is using his military to block food and aid intended for the region. His opponents say he is using hunger and starvation as a war tactic. In 2009, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir that included charges of genocide, but the African Union has not enforced the warrant, allowing al-Bashir to travel freely.
Also arrested were Clooney’s father, Nick; Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP; and John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project. Green was placed in plastic handcuffs at the protest.
We're awaiting a press release from Green's office.
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