[Peace-discuss] Ray McGovern attacked by police at Hillary Clinton Speech

[Stuart Levy]

Correction: Clinton's speech (which is itself appalling) was given yesterday,
Tuesday Feb 15th, at George Washington University.


On Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 07:59:56PM -0600, Stuart Levy wrote:
> This is appalling.  Peaceable silent dissent -- at Clinton's speech today,
> on freedom of speech -- is now an offense worthy of a police beating,
> while Clinton continued speaking, undisturbed and uninvolved.
> McGovern was silent but we need to make noise about this!
> 
> [Heard this on the "ufpj-activist" mailing list.]
> 
> On Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 08:38:40PM -0500, Kevin Zeese wrote:
> > Friends
> > 
> > Our colleague Ray McGovern attended a speech that Hillary Clinton was giving
> > today on Freedom of Speech in the Internet age.  While she was talking about
> > freedom speech around the world he stood up and turned his back and silently
> > stood.  He was wearing a Veterans for Peace tee shirt.  He was accosted by
> > two police officers, one uniformed and one not, who battered and bruised
> > him, brought him to jail and left him there bleeding.  Hillary did not blink
> > an eye as the incident occurred as you can see from the video below.
> > 
> > I corresponded with Ray and he is recovering but worried about what this
> > says about our country.Bdelow is his response to my question about how he
> > was doing, and my response.
> > 
> > thanks kevin the painful bruises are those for our country and its erstwhile
> > ideals physically I hurt, but no broken bones,dislocated shoulders, or
> > anything else that won't h...eal pls pass word around
> > 
> > My response to him:
> > Will spread the word. We need to use this to highlight the state of affairs
> > in our country. Clinton's silence during your abuse and arrest needs the
> > spotlight and the hypocrisy of US 'concern' for freedom abroad and the
> > action against you tells an important truth.
> > 
> > Thank you for standing. It is interesting how often doing something simple -
> > sitting at a lunch counter or on a bus - brings out the truth.
> > 
> > Glad you will physically heal from this.
> > 
> > KZ
> > 
> > The peace movement needs to make an issue of this and put the spotlight on
> > Hillary and the hypocrisy of American calls for freedom of speech around the
> > world while they behave like this at home, especially against someone like
> > Ray McGovern with his distinguished career.
> > 
> > The video is here and below is more on the situation.
> > 
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-Vy8fFnz18&feature=player_embedded
> > 
> > KZ
> > 
> > 
> > *At Clinton Speech: Veteran Bloodied, Bruised
> > and Arrested for Standing Silently*
> > * *
> > 
> > *Post this article on your Facebook
> > page<http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justiceonline.org%2Fsite%2FNews2%3Fpage%3DNewsArticle%26id%3D5553>
> > *
> > 
> > As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave her speech at George Washington
> > University yesterday condemning governments that arrest protestors and do
> > not allow free expression, 71-year-old Ray McGovern was grabbed from the
> > audience in plain view of her by police and an unidentified official in
> > plain clothes, brutalized and left bleeding in jail. She never paused
> > speaking. When Secretary Clinton began her speech, Mr. McGovern remained
> > standing silently in the audience and turned his back. Mr. McGovern, a
> > veteran Army officer who also worked as a C.I.A. analyst for 27 years, was
> > wearing a Veterans for Peace t-shirt.
> > 
> > Blind-sided by security officers who pounced upon him, Mr. McGovern
> > remarked, as he was hauled out the door, "So this is America?" Mr. McGovern
> > is covered with bruises, lacerations and contusions inflicted in the
> > assault.
> > 
> > Mr. McGovern is being represented by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund
> > (PCJF). "It is the ultimate definition of lip service that Secretary of
> > State Clinton would be trumpeting the U.S. government's supposed concerns
> > for free speech rights and this man would be simultaneously brutalized and
> > arrested for engaging in a peaceful act of dissent at her speech," stated
> > attorney Mara Verheyden-Hilliard of the PCJF.
> > 
> > Mr. McGovern now works for Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical
> > Church of the Saviour in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
> >   [image: Ray McGovern with bruises]
> > [image: Ray McGovern with bruises]  *Spread the word*
> 
> > _______________________________________________
> > ufpj-activist mailing list
> > 
> > Post: ufpj-activist at lists.mayfirst.org
> > List info: https://lists.mayfirst.org/mailman/listinfo/ufpj-activist
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