Posts Tagged ‘protest’
My First (Public) Protest
Darfur Protestors Take a STAND
Amanda James
Published: Daily Free Press March 19, 2009
Seventy activists “died” on the cold bricks of Boston City Hall Plaza on Wednesday night to protest the genocide in Darfur. Members of the Massachusetts Save Darfur Coalition, STAND, a former Vietnam War protester, and even a girl who skipped work in Connecticut convened to commit to the cause.
“Bashir is lying. Millions are dying,” protestors chanted.
The protestors laid on the ground for about 10 minutes before getting up and chanting to “make the public aware” of recent events in the Sudanese region, STAND Massachusetts State Outreach Coordinator and University of Massachusetts Amherst student Nikki Tishler said.
Last week, Sudanese president al-Bashir expelled 16 humanitarian aid organizations from Darfur, including UNICEF and Doctors without Borders, after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the president.
Today, a meningitis outbreak in one of Darfur’s largest camps for the displaced threatens to kill thousands.
STAND, which is the student-led part of the Genocide Intervention Network, and Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur organized the emergency rally in a conference call Sunday, Save Darfur Chairman Eric Cohen said.
The groups had little time to plan a response to the shocking and devastating events of March 4, said Eric Cohen. After deciding that the most important response was an immediate one, the coalition sent out an e-mail to its distribution list and relied on its members to tell as many people as possible about the event.
“When the events happening are affecting 2.7 million people, there was no time for hesitation,” said Cohen.
Anti-War Demonstration- Jens Lekman Mp3
