Olver Arrested at Sudanese Embassy
WASHINGTON, April 28— Five members of the House of Representatives, including two from Massachusetts, were arrested outside of the Sudanese Embassy on Friday during a protest of the conflict in the Darfur region.
James P. McGovern (D-Mass.) and John W. Olver (D-Mass.) were willingly arrested along with Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), James P. Moran (D-Va.), and Shelia Jackson Lee (D-Texas) by the Secret Service Police.
The members of Congress, and six members of religious and humanitarian aid organizations, were charged with disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly after refusing to the leave the embassy property.
Protesters, including some from the Worcester area, clapped and shouted as the police placed plastic handcuffs on those arrested and loaded them into the back of a white police van. They were taken to a local police station and released after paying $50 fines.
Some demonstrators carried pictures of the conflict, while others held a painted banner with a woman crying and the words “stop the killing now” printed on it.
Mr. Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor elected to Congress, said the Sudanese government has not cooperated with the international community, including NATO and peacekeeping troops from the African Union.
“Two generations ago, the civilized world stood in silence and looked away,” Mr. Lantos, who is 78 years old, told the protesters before being arrested. “Congress stands united in our determination to put an end to this.”
An estimated 180,000 Sudanese people have been killed by government backed militias in the Darfur region of Sudan. More than 2 million others have been displaced by the conflict.
The members of Congress read from a list of four demands: abiding by a ceasefire, allowing United Nations peacekeeping forces to enter the country, granting full access to humanitarian organizations and continuing peace talks.
The Sudanese government has not taken proper actions to stop the genocide, Mr. McGovern said, and nations across the world “must take immediate concrete steps” to prevent more violence.
“We are here today because words are no longer enough,” he said. “The world has said ‘never again.’ It is time for action.”
Mr. Olver, agreed with Mr. McGovern and said the Sudanese government must be “held responsible” for its actions.
“The international community must act to end the genocide which has now been going on for three years in Darfur,” Mr. Olver said as he held a large poster of a village burning.
Among the protesters were refugees from Darfur. Samia Eshag, who arrived only 24 hours earlier from the troubled region, said it was important for her to give voice to the thousands of women who have been raped.
“The civilians in Darfur are suffering day by day, night by night from all of the attacks,” she said.
Scott Schaeffer-Duffy, a Worcester resident who visited Darfur in December of 2004, said Americans need “to do everything they can to stop this genocide.”
“I think anyone that is in a public position that chooses to do nonviolent civil disobedience on this is issue is doing a great service to the people of Darfur,” he said. “I hope more leaders will stand up and do the same thing.”
George Aghjayan, a member of the Armenian National Committee of Central Massachusetts, said he supports Mr. McGovern “one hundred percent” in his actions to “bring awareness to the people of Darfur.”
The Save Darfur Coalition, a group of more than 100 humanitarian organizations which seeks to raise public awareness on the genocide, organized the event and has scheduled rallies in cities across the country on Sunday. The largest rally, which will be held on the National Mall in Washington, is expected to draw thousands of protesters.
The United States and the international community cannot wait any longer to act, Mr. Moran said.
“This is about our humanity,” said Mr. Moran. “To decide not to get involved is to make a decision, the wrong one.”
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