Dear John, In 20 years advocating for peace and justice, we have never experienced repression like this. This week, CODEPINK DC staff member Julia was arrested and held overnight for being a recognizable activist for Palestine on Capitol Hill. Listen, I know our DC team routinely risks arrest at congressional hearings – but in this case, Julia was exiting a hearing room without saying anything or holding up any signs. CODEPINK isn’t the only organization targeted for standing against genocide in Gaza; Congress is actively working on a bill that, with abuse of power, would remove the tax-exempt status of organizations supporting Palestine. "In what democracy do
police forces arrest recognizable activists? Julia's arrest and
assaults on our activists earlier today (Tuesday) signal a larger
state of repression we are entering in our fight for a free Palestine.
We will continue to stand by our staff and all activists against
political repression" I’d say Julia’s arrest was payback for our DC team disrupting Secretary of State Blinken all week, but it’s so much more than that. The timing of the nonprofit-killing bill moving through Congress right now goes to show that our collective effort to liberate Palestine is intimidating enablers of Israel’s settler colonialism. Ann Wright, a long-time CODEPINKer and member of our board of directors was also assaulted and arrested the same day as Julia. This comes as no surprise as our movement is attacked on every front. When our movement started growing rapidly, they spread lies about October 7, and propped up 76 years of Israeli propaganda, rolled out anti-BDS and anti-free speech legislation across the US, increased surveillance, and now, anyone taking action for Palestine is seemingly at risk of being arrested. UNRWA is also a clear target of this bill, and we must continue to protect it. Next week, our DC team is holding a teach-in on UNRWA on Capitol Hill, but our efforts to educate can only go so far without your support. The US and Israeli governments know true justice and liberation will come from the power of the people, people like you. 👉 Use that people-power to tell the Senate to vote “NO” to targeting nonprofits! Our movement will only succeed by our collective, consistent effort. Summer is around the corner, and there’s no time to slow down. Our goal at CODEPINK is clear: escalate for Palestine. We’re going to spend the entire summer – and however long it takes after that – educating and mobilizing CODEPINKERs across the globe to keep the momentum for Gaza going. We’re launching a Summer School for Gaza beginning on June 3 to equip action-takers like you to cause good trouble in your city. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it. Our Summer of Love for Gaza doesn’t end there; you can also join us at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions to help to make sure our demands to stop the US war machine are heard! We need all hands on deck for Gaza this summer. 👉 Check out more resources on Palestine and the increased state of repression:
Towards Peace, Nour and the entire CODEPINK team PS: Pre-order our brand new CODEPINK keffiyehs, custom made by West Bank Kufiya! |
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