July 24, 2014

Contact: Alli McCracken, 860 575 5692, alli@codepink.org

Medea Benjamin, 415 235 6517, medea@codepink.org

CODEPINK Activists Rally Outside of Senator Hagan’s Office in Asheville, Call for End to Senator’s Support for Israeli Assault on Gaza   

When: Friday, July 25 at noon

Where: Meet at Prichard Park and march to Senator's Hagan's office (82 Patton Avenue Suite 635, Asheville, NC 28801)

Asheville, North Carolina –– On Friday, July 25 at noon, activists will gather at Prichard Park and march to the office of Senator Kay Hagan in Asheville to oppose the brutal Israeli bombing campaign of Gaza and call for an end to the ongoing siege. Activists are dismayed that both Senator Hagan and Senator Burr from North Carolina voted, along with the rest of the Senate, to support the Israeli assault on Gaza. Protesters will call on both Senators to condemn the attacks and show compassion for the Palestinians.

“It is outrageous that the Senate unanimously passed a resolution endorsing Israeli war crimes,” said Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the peace group CODEPINK who is in Asheville for the protest. “Why does Senator Hagan, who is generally a progressive Democrat, support sending over $3 billion dollars in military aid to Israel to enable this violence when that money is needed here in North Carolina?”

According to NPR, as of July 25, 718 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. Even hospitals are being shelled by Israeli forces, and on July 24, a UN-run school was even bombed. As U.S. citizens whose tax dollars are underwriting this carnage, we call on Senator Hagan to take a stand and call for an end to the bombing now.

The action is timed to coincide with the National Veterans for Peace Conference and the CODEPINK Activist Training Camp. Activists from Asheville and across the country will be present at the protest and will be available for interviews.

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