Rep. Brad Sherman's accusations that the human rights defenders involved with the Gaza Freedom Flotilla are 'terrorists' prompted members of the Free Gaza Movement, Gaza Freedom March, Code Pink, and Freedom Flotilla to voluntarily make themselves available for arrest in his Capitol Hill offices Thursday, June 10th.
When not arrested, they gathered in Rep. Sherman's Rayburn HOB office to hold a memorial service for those killed aboard the Mavi Marmara during the black operation on the flotilla and the world.
Col. Ann Wright (ret.), a former U.S. diplomat, Gaza Freedom March organizer, and a passenger aboard the recent Freedom Flotilla, stated that: "Nine aid workers were murdered by Israeli commandos, and more than fifty were wounded. I want to look Brad Sherman in the eye and see if he has any sense for the gravity of this situation. If Sherman wants to have us arrested - we'll be there."
Congressman Sherman (D-CA) publicly called to arrest and prosecute "any U.S. citizens who were aboard or involved with the Freedom Flotilla" under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.
Rep. Sherman serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and chairs the subcommittee on terrorism and nonproliferation.
According to Rep. Sherman: "[It's] absolutely illegal for any American to give food, money, school supplies, paper clips, concrete ...so I will be asking the Attorney General to prosecute any American involved in what was clearly an effort to give items of value to a terrorist organization."
Hamas is considered a terrorist organization.
Rep. Sherman also stated that he was planning to work with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure all non-U.S. citizens aboard the Flotilla would be permanently barred from entering the U.S. This list includes Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire, former UN assistant secretary general Denis Halliday, plus numerous parliamentarians and government officials from Ireland, Britain, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Palestine, and Israel.
Ramzi Kysia, an organizer with the Free Gaza Movement, said, "Rep. Sherman is welcome to arrest me and try to make his case to a jury of my peers.
"Delivering humanitarian aid to people in need is not 'terrorism.' Brad Sherman is a prime example of just how degenerate our political discourse has become on Capitol Hill."
After delivering a speech at the Church of Scientology's reopening in Washington, DC., Scientology public affairs director Sylvia Stanard said that although Sherman is not a member of the Church of Scientology, "but supports the human rights work the church is doing all over the world."
Several other peace and justice advocates made themselves available for arrest in DC Thursday including Susan Kerin, a coordinator with both the Free Gaza Movement and Pax Christi, and Tighe Barry, a coordinator with Code Pink.
Mr. Barry turned himself in to face the death penalty for building 3 playgrounds in Gaza for children, some of whom were born from parents in the Hamas government.
The U.N. Security Council has called for an inquiry into the flotilla raid, and the U.N. Human Rights Council has condemned the assault and voted to launch an investigation.
Israeli Navy officers have alo called for an investigation and furthermore admitted there has been a cover-up of what really happened on the May 31 massacre of nine aid workers, injury or another 51, plus torture of an untold number of flotilla participants. Navy top officials said that it is "wrong for the government to blame the organizers of the flotilla."
It is suspected that the flotilla black operation involved infiltrated agent provocateurs, secret agents employed by police or other officials who incite suspected persons to commit illegal acts. At least six individuals posing as Free Gaza activists on board disappeared after the hit-listed assassinations. Their whereabouts are unknown to the public but they were unharmed according to filmmaker Lara Lee, a flotilla survivor.
Lee smuggled video footage of the attack into the U.S. and released the uncensored version of it Thursday.
Tens of thousands of U.S. citizens have gathered in their city streets to stand in solidarity with the Freedom Flotilla participants. According to Rep. Sherman, they should all be arrested and prosecuted.
Learn more: Contact Ramzi Kysia, Free Gaza Movement, (703) 994-5422, ramzi@freegaza.org
and Tighe Barry, Code Pink, (310) 920-8248, tighebarry@juno.com.
Deborah Dupré holds post-graduate science and education degrees from U.S. and Australian universities. She has been a human rights advocate and environmentalist for over 25 years in the U.S., Vanuatu and Australia. Support her work by subscribing to her articles (free). For a more just and peaceful world, learn from Dupré's Vaccine Liberty or Death book detailing US military and medical system non-consensual human experimentation time-line, plus from her Compassion Film Project DVDs.
Comments
They are terrorists, and anyone with more then 2 brain cells firing can see this. They provoked the situation and attacked the Israeli's as soon as they boarded the terrorist controlled ship. Every death is on the head of the terrorist activists on board.
Look to Reuters for faking photos once again. They cropped a weapon from the terrorists hands, the one that stabbed the poor soldier before the others even had a chance to board the ship.
Again, liberals on the side of terrorists, and covering up their murderous intentions.
"U.N. Human Rights Council"
Give me and the world a break. Anyone that quotes these scum as as dumb as dirt. The council is filled with dictators, kings and the worst human rights violators on the planet. They spend most of their Nazi time verbally attacking and condemning Israel.
Ooooohhh. A zionist spindoktor.
You would apologize for nazi Germany, wouldn't you?
Israel a racist, apartheid nation run by Jewish supremacists. Don't you dare defend their actions.
Gaza, is one of their actions.
This piece of crap politician needs to be exported to Israel. He can take half of the presidential cabinet with him when he goes.
It's time we flushed these pro-Israel hawks out of our government.
x
One has to question the judgement of anyone who supports the cult of scientology, especially believing them to be human rights activists. Clearly one misguided dude.
Sylvia Stanard said that although Sherman is not a member of the Church of Scientology, "but supports the human rights work the church is doing all over the world."
What about the reports of human rights abuses perpetrated by the Scientology organization? Coerced abortions, slave labor, child labor, false imprisonment, intimidation and violation of members' free speech rights are only a few issues Scientology will defend itself against in court. Several ex-members have launched lawsuits seeking reparation and compensation for years of abuse experienced by the plaintiffs while working under Scientology rule.
Like Jeff Stone, Mr. Sherman is making a bad mistake by labeling human rights activists as terrorists. Jeff Stone lost his bid for a state senate seat, in part because those he labeled as terrorists are internet savvy activists.
According to a recent article on examiner.com, Jeff Stone lost in part because of those activists. Mr. Sherman could be next on Anonymous' to do li
Is Scientology infiltrated by Zionists?
I always wondered why Scientology had so little to say about the growing preponderance of evidence that 911 was a Zionist job.
Using a religion as cover for a foreign Israeli intelligence operation is oh so very Mossadish.
Reports are now coming out about the people (so-called terrorists) killed. One was a photojournalist with a camera in his hand (shot in his forehead). One had his wife with him...if you are going to do a "lynching" you would probably leave the "little lady at home." And now we have video of Israel soldiers kicking someone on the ground and then aiming and firing at the person on the ground. Unconfirmed but claims are it was the US citizen (Fulkan Dogan). Other testimonies state that they used fire on the other ships, targeted media and attacked activists after they were put in prison in Israel.
But now the news is old and no one is reporting this. But Israeli's terrorist claim story is quickly unraveliing.
All terrorists in America support the terrorists in the Middle East, not the only democracy, which they hate. And like here, they are trying their best to turn into a parasitic Marxist nation.
Like so many in congress and the White House, Mr. Shereman is a whore for our enemy Israel. Boot him out of office and out of the country. He and his colleagues are TRAITORS to this nation!
as israel is a terrorist state...every taxpayer in the USA qualifies for arrest...our $$$ sent to israel buys the guns,ships, ammo used to massacre the "free gaza" victims
Let's vote this guy out. He clearly does not have the sacred principles of the USA Founding Fathers at heart. Seems like he will usurp any principle for his first allegiance - which appears to be Israel.
An American teenager died because he was delivering humanitarian aid to 1.5m destitute people.
Rep. Sherman doesn't seem to care....he'd rather lend support to a foreign govt.
To whom does Sherman has allegience to to, Americans or Israel.
hey mike -- looks like the Megaphonies have shown up -- give us a break. israel needs to be spanked like the insolent child it is.
Delivering humanitarian aid to people in need is not terrorism. Brad Sherman is a prime example of just how degenerate political discourse on Capitol Hill has become.
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