Actor George Clooney among arrested in Sudan protest

[News_Editor]

Actor George Clooney among arrested in Sudan protest

2012-03-18 02:18:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. actor George Clooney was among several political and religious figures who were arrested on Friday during a protest in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. to end the humanitarian crisis in the African country.

Demonstrators blamed the Sudanese government for the alleged killing and torture of civilians and urged bombings to stop as well as continuing the process at the International Criminal Court (ICC) which previously issued arrest warrants for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Clooney, an Academy Award-winning actor, said humanitarian aid should be allowed into Sudan before it escalates to become the 'worst humanitarian crisis in the world.' He also called on Sudanese authorities to immediately stop the 'starving and raping of innocent men, women, and children.'

Speeches and protests continued until police warned the crowds for the third time that they would be arrested if they did not leave the area. Police proceeded, using plastic handcuffs to arrest the group which had been protesting without any incidents.

In addition to Clooney, who has recently traveled to Sudan, police also arrested his father, a journalist, 'United to End Genocide' President Tom Andrews, Democratic Reps. Jim McGovern, Al Green, Jim Moran and John Olver, as well as Martin Luther King III and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President Ben Jealous. They were later released.

But the Sudanese Embassy condemned the protests, calling the protesters misguided and accusing them of supporting the rebels. "[Clooney] put on quite the show that could possibly earn him yet another Golden Globe as he thoroughly played his role to perfection in a script that apparently ends in the lead actor's arrest," the Embassy said in a statement. "Only one problem, this matter is neither fiction, nor set in Hollywood!"

The Embassy claimed that, as a result of the protest, innocent Sudanese civilians would be made more vulnerable to massacres by rebels. "Sudan does not object to the constructive engagement of anyone as long as actions have a genuine motive and are well thought out," the statement said. "We've always called for the international community's engagement in national matters when it can be instrumental and effective in resolving issues. But that's clearly not the case in Clooney's campaign."

Hundreds of thousands of people face starvation in the Nuba Mountains region on the border between Sudan and South Sudan, largely the result of the Sudanese government's alleged blockage of humanitarian aid. Government forces have also been accused of carrying out massacres and other crimes against humanity.

The Sudanese government accused Clooney of breaking international law by illegally entering Sudan's Abyei area and subsequently producing a video. "In a population that numbers in the hundreds of thousands, his camera focused on two or three individuals to star in his skewed story," the statement said. "He has certainly failed those who might have trusted him to be truthful enough in this most sensitive issue. His attempts at being a "Peacemaker" should remain on the big screen."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-03-18

[Steely Dan]

Good to see a celeb support a worthwhile cause, such as stopping the ongoing racist genocide of thus far about 2 million people and the indictment of those responsible at the ICC in the Hague. Sadly many celebs who want to appear to be activists attach themselves to more fashionable but spurious causes, which garner more press attention.

[chops]

Nice free country there. Protest and get arrested. No different than being in Russia or China..

[chuckd]

Nice free country there. Protest and get arrested. No different than being in Russia or China..

Perhaps you missed this part of the article stating the group was told to leave the area three (3) times before they were cuffed and led away. When one breaks the law, it is not that much different than Russia or China...except in the US it is not a capital offense.

"Speeches and protests continued until police warned the crowds for the third time that they would be arrested if they did not leave the area. Police proceeded, using plastic handcuffs to arrest the group which had been protesting without any incidents."

Edited to clean it up.

Edited March 18, 2012 by chuckd

[rotary]

Clooney is a looney. He needs to get a life or find a hobby and mind his own business. What an idiot and a clown.

Edited March 18, 2012 by rotary

[Ianatlarge]

The cops order citizens to disperse, while they are peacefully protesting a fascist regime? Perhaps if eight decades ago more people protested against these types of thugs the history of the 20th century would be far less bloody. My sympathies lie with Clooney and his fellow protestors, not the rent a cops.

[Steely Dan]

I disagree. The North Sudan government continues to engage in ethnic and religious cleansing yet every move to bring Bashir to trial is blocked by the OIC, who incidentally have a high number of representatives on the UN Human rights council.

P.S As an aside Pakistan, that bastion of religious tolerance is penciled in as it's newest member.

[spidermike007]

This is a large man, with tremendous courage. In an age of super indulgent stars like Kobe Bryant, Nicolas Cage, and others, for a guy in his position to be doing this kind of work speaks volumes about what he is made of. Keep up the pressure. There is very little tolerance for dissent in the US anymore. When people get arrested in front of embassies, it is like the Western Roman Empire in the mid 5th century AD, just prior to the Germanic chieftan Odoacer conquering Rome. Same deal. Last vestiges of the American Empire. Afraid of their own shadow. That happens at the end of an empire. Censorship like we have never seen before. Paranoia. NSA involvement in the daily life of average Americans. Congrats to Clooney for speaking out against mongrels and pathetic, desperate power mongers.

[nidieunimaitre]

Clooney is a looney. He needs to get a life or find a hobby and mind his own business. What an idiot and a clown.

You are probably voting tea party, but on this, I agree with you.

Looney and his fans think His opinion is more worth than the opinion of His maid.

[jalansanitwong]

Obviously Sudan doesn't have much in the way of cheap accessible oil otherwise Washington would of gone in years ago.

Freedom of speech is almost finished in the west as Clooney found out the hard way.

Edited March 18, 2012 by jalansanitwong

[chuckd]

Give me a break. Clooney is going to get 10 hours of community service to serve at the White House and sent on his way.

Won't be any worse than getting a speeding ticket in the long run.

[strollling]

...free speech and liberty for all...

[kropotkin]

...free speech and liberty for all...

and coffee for Looney.

[rijb]

Clooney is a looney. He needs to get a life or find a hobby and mind his own business. What an idiot and a clown.

<deleted> have you done lately?

[canuckamuck]

A-list Actors: They all think they are geniuses because no one has the guts to tell them to shut up.

Certainly this is an actual cause to be concerned about, but why do so many put stock in what these guys have to say.

[rijb]

Why do so many put stock in what anonymous posters have to say?

[chuckd]

Why do so many put stock in what anonymous posters have to say?

Let's all get together and ask Sean Penn what he thinks we should do. Hollywood is filled with empty suits.

Edited March 18, 2012 by chuckd

[koheesti]

The ignorance on display here is overwhelming. Laws are supposed to apply to both the rich and connected as well as the poor but as soon as one of the rich guys gets arrested all of a sudden the USA is a police state.

Clooney expected to get arrested as part of the publicity he wants for the issue.

It's a worthy issue, I'm just wondering why Obama hasn't acted on it yet? I bet Clooney expected something to be done soon after Inauguration Day 2009 and he must be disappointed today.

As for there being no oil there, there wasn't any oil when we went into Somalia back in 1992 to feed people and there wasn't any oil in Bosnia when we had to go in to stop the genocide in the mid-90's. Most people here already knew that.

[Steely Dan]

The ignorance on display here is overwhelming. Laws are supposed to apply to both the rich and connected as well as the poor but as soon as one of the rich guys gets arrested all of a sudden the USA is a police state.

Clooney expected to get arrested as part of the publicity he wants for the issue.

It's a worthy issue, I'm just wondering why Obama hasn't acted on it yet? I bet Clooney expected something to be done soon after Inauguration Day 2009 and he must be disappointed today.

As for there being no oil there, there wasn't any oil when we went into Somalia back in 1992 to feed people and there wasn't any oil in Bosnia when we had to go in to stop the genocide in the mid-90's. Most people here already knew that.

Actually, they do have oil in Sudan, mostly in the South, but the North Sudan government has lost control of that thanks to engaging in a racist and genocidal war against half their population leading to the formation of South Sudan. I expect Nigeria to go the same way; they also have oil in the South of the Country.

[chops]

Nice free country there. Protest and get arrested. No different than being in Russia or China..

Perhaps you missed this part of the article stating the group was told to leave the area three (3) times before they were cuffed and led away. When one breaks the law, it is not that much different than Russia or China...except in the US it is not a capital offense.

"Speeches and protests continued until police warned the crowds for the third time that they would be arrested if they did not leave the area. Police proceeded, using plastic handcuffs to arrest the group which had been protesting without any incidents."

Edited to clean it up.

What rubbish. Please go back to america.

[chuckd]

Nice free country there. Protest and get arrested. No different than being in Russia or China..

Perhaps you missed this part of the article stating the group was told to leave the area three (3) times before they were cuffed and led away. When one breaks the law, it is not that much different than Russia or China...except in the US it is not a capital offense.

"Speeches and protests continued until police warned the crowds for the third time that they would be arrested if they did not leave the area. Police proceeded, using plastic handcuffs to arrest the group which had been protesting without any incidents."

Edited to clean it up.

What rubbish. Please go back to america.

Since you said "please", I'll pack my bags today.

[joe84330]

The ignorance on display here is overwhelming. Laws are supposed to apply to both the rich and connected as well as the poor but as soon as one of the rich guys gets arrested all of a sudden the USA is a police state. Clooney expected to get arrested as part of the publicity he wants for the issue. It's a worthy issue, I'm just wondering why Obama hasn't acted on it yet? I bet Clooney expected something to be done soon after Inauguration Day 2009 and he must be disappointed today. As for there being no oil there, there wasn't any oil when we went into Somalia back in 1992 to feed people and there wasn't any oil in Bosnia when we had to go in to stop the genocide in the mid-90's. Most people here already knew that.

i suspect he's making plans right now to send in matt damon and angelina jolie. obviously matt damon can handle the sudanese warlords on his own but with angelina there it will be quicker, and she'll have time to track down and kill joseph kony. sean penn was offered a chance to go with them but relented, accepting instead a leading role in the lifetime tv drama which will be made upon their return.

[rijb]

Some actors try to be politicians and some politicians try to be actors.

"How can a president not be an actor?" -- Ronald Reagan

And some posters try to be comedians.

Edited March 19, 2012 by rijb

[chuckd]

Some actors try to be politicians and some politicians try to be actors.

"How can a president not be an actor?" -- Ronald Reagan

And some posters try to be comedians.

This entire thread is a ready made laugh track.

[GentlemanJim]

It always made me laugh at the outbreak of the invasion of Iraq, when Bruce Willis, was so hyped up about getting Osama and Saddams WMD's that he volunteered to the President his services to LEAD a company of men into combat to help the war effort. Clearly he was unaware that there is a difference between real combat and when someone shouts 'lights, camera, action', or maybe 'nope that didn't work, lets do that take again'. Willis was absolutely serious....absolutely absurd.

An ironic side track to this protest is that while most agree that the police should indeed have broken up the protest and arrest those causing a disruption, there are some here who apply a different set of values to the red shirts and feel it was ok to let them obstruct a city center for 2 months and neither the police or the army had any rights to disrupt the proceedings. All part of life's rich and varied tapestry I guess!

[rijb]

What's ironic is that hyped up celebrties at least get to vote in their country. While most Farang that get hyped up about Thai politics are pissing up a rope.

[jambco984]

Good on George Clooney, maybe it's for some self publicity but he must believe in it enough to get arrested.