FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: Melissa Garriga | [email protected] 

Press Conference & Rally: Berkeley City Council to Vote on Historic Arms Embargo Resolution

BERKELEY, CA – On Monday, April 28 at 5:00 PM PT, a coalition of advocacy groups will gather outside Berkeley City Council chambers at 1231 Addison Street for a press conference and rally in support of a groundbreaking resolution calling for an arms embargo to Israel. The event will coincide with a special meeting of the Berkeley City Council, where the Council is expected to vote on the Peace & Justice Resolution, originally passed in September, which calls for a ceasefire, an arms embargo, and Palestinian liberation.

EVENT DETAILS
What: Press Conference & Rally Supporting Arms Embargo Resolution
When: Monday, April 28, 2025 at 5:00 PM PT
Where: 1231 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA
Who: CODEPINK, Palestinian Youth Movement, Berkeley Palestine Network, Yalla Berkeley, DSA, JVP, NORCAL Sabeel, IJAN, and community allies

The resolution is a call for local action in response to the ongoing U.S. military support to Israel amidst escalating violence in Gaza. CODEPINK, along with Palestinian Youth Movement, Berkeley Palestine Network, Yalla Berkeley, DSA, Jewish Voice for Peace, NORCAL Sabeel, and IJAN, will speak out in unified support of the measure.

“Berkeley has a historic opportunity to oppose arms to Israel in a resolution before the City Council on April 28,” said Cynthia Papermaster, Berkeley-based organizer with CODEPINK. “We support the Mayor and Council taking this humanitarian and practical action to try and save the lives of civilians in Gaza who are not at war with Israel, but who are being horrifically bombed and murdered with U.S. weapons—paid for by our taxes. This is making Lockheed Martin wealthy, but it makes us all complicit, and it must stop. Enough is enough.”

The groups are urging the Berkeley community to show up, speak out, and stand in solidarity with Palestinian civilians and human rights. The resolution represents not only a moral stand, but a call for municipalities across the U.S. to take meaningful action against war profiteering and state violence.

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CODEPINK is a grassroots peace and social justice movement that emerged in 2002 in response to the Iraq War. Committed to promoting diplomacy and disarmament, CODEPINK engages in creative, nonviolent actions to address issues of militarism, injustice, and inequality. With a focus on women-led initiatives, the organization strives to build a world free from violence and oppression, advocating for a just and sustainable peace. CODEPINK's vibrant activism spans a range of global and local campaigns, amplifying voices for positive change and challenging policies that perpetuate conflict