FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 16, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Melissa Garriga - [email protected]
“NO MORE MONEY FOR THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX”
CODEPINK Activists Disrupt Warhawk Cabinet at Budget Hearing
WASHINGTON—CODEPINK activists disrupted a congressional hearing this afternoon featuring the Secretaries of Defense, Commerce, and State. The hearing, called “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 24 Budget Request: Investing in U.S. Security, Competitiveness, and the Path Ahead for the U.S.-China Relationship,” prioritized war preparations over de-escalation and cooperation.
Three of the activists wore t-shirts saying “China is Not Our Enemy.” Wearing a shirt and holding a sign that both read “$$$ FOR THE POOR NOT WAR,” CODEPINK organizer Olivia DiNucci stood up and said, “We don't need more money for the military industrial complex. We need money for the poor and the planet!”
“We don't want to go to war with China,” she continued, “and we want to end the war in Ukraine.”
Security immediately told DiNucci to sit down and issued her a warning. Consequently, when she went to leave she was ultimately arrested for peacefully and quietly holding up her sign as she walked out the door.
It is very ironic that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified in the hearing that we must build up defense against China because China is a dictatorship but people in the United States cannot peacefully protest and petition their own government without being arrested.
“We should be able to stand up and say what we want, utilize our First Amendment rights, and demand that this government and this country protects us and provides support for the people,” DiNucci remarked as she was taken away in handcuffs by Capitol Police.
CODEPINK activists across the country are committed to fighting for a world war diplomacy and cooperation for a better planet take precedence over the competition, saber rattling, and deathly wars.
You can view the disruption here.
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