FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 1, 2014

Contact:

Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK Co-founder, 415 235 6517, medea@codepink.org

Alli McCracken, CODEPINK Organizer, 860 575 5692, alli@codepink.org

Activists Protest Outside AIPAC: Call for Palestinian Rights and No War on Iran

When: Sunday, March 2, 2014, Press Conference at 2 pm; Protest from 8:30AM-8:30PM, with press conference and main actions from 2pm-4pm.

Where: In front of the Historical Society across from the Washington Convention Center on Mt Vernon Place between 8th and 9th St.

Visuals: Shopping carts filled with Israeli goods to boycott, giant letters spelling out “NO WAR ON IRAN”, mock military checkpoint and Israeli Annexation Wall

Washington, DC–– During the Israel lobby AIPAC’s annual policy conference, CODEPINK and other activists will demonstrate outside as a part of a protest dubbed “Boycott AIPAC,” calling for an end to AIPAC policies that promote war and human rights violations. The name of the protest is a reference to the growing international movement to impose Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) on the state of Israel until it ends the occupation of Palestine, complies with international law, and allows Palestinian refugees the right of return to their homeland.

Activists across the world have joined the protests through a social media campaign to jam the AIPAC conference Twitter hashtags, #AIPAC14 and #AIPACpride, and activist have effectively taken over the online conversation. A controversial parody video of the AIPAC conference promotional clip has also gone viral, and AIPAC has threatened to sue CODEPINK over it.

Themed protests will take place throughout the day to expose AIPAC’s dangerous foreign policy positions. These themes include calls for no war on Iran, an end to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, and an end to billions of US taxpayer dollars every year in military aid to Israel. Activists have been bolstered by the global expansion of the BDS movement and the weakened AIPAC stranglehold over Congress. Protesters will have “boycott stations” set up to inform about which products to boycott to support the Palestinian BDS movement.

The 2:00 pm press conference will feature the following speakers:

Ramah Kudaimi, US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation

Ayman Abunimer, American University Students for Justice in Palestine

Deborah Goldstein, American University Jewish Voice for Peace

Reverend Graylan Hagler, Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ

Carolyn Karcher, American Studies Association and Jewish Voice for Peace

Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK

“AIPAC has pushed for US military intervention in Syria and for the ‘military option’ in Iran, but both of these positions are rejected by the American people, who want a foreign policy that focuses on diplomacy,” says CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin. “It’s time our elected officials show their independence from AIPAC’s belligerent stand.”

Activists will be available for interviews all day.

##