November, 13 2008, 03:23pm EDT
Two CODEPINK Activists Arrested for Protesting Karl Rove at Commercial Finance Association Annual Convention
SAN FRANCISCO
Two members of the women's peace group CODEPINK were arrested today at a financial convention in San Francisco when they took the stage along Karl Rove and staged a citizen's arrest on charges of war crimes.
At the Commercial Finance Association annual convention, as Rove debated former senator John Edwards, Janine Boneparth, 58, of Ross, CA, walked on the stage handcuffed to fellow CODEPINK woman Nancy Mancias. Boneparth held up photos of dead soldiers killed in Iraq and blew a whistle. At the same moment, Nancy Mancias, 38, of San Francisco, CA, held up crime scene tape and pronounced to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, Karl Rove is a war criminal!"
Boneparth and Mancias were escorted out of the building by police and taken downtown to be booked for trespassing. The women moved to make a citizen's arrest of the former Bush Administration chief of staff, under California Code 837, as Boneparth attempted to do at the Mortgage Bankers Association annual conventions Oct. 21 (see photos and video of the arrest here https://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/business&id=6461516). The women believe their charges of trespassing unjust, as they were guests at the convention's hotel, the Marriott.
CODEPINK has been following and confronting Karl Rove as he tours the country at appearances such as his recent Sacramento appearance at the Perspectives public affairs forum, and at the Houston Aquarium. Concerned citizens believe that Karl Rove should be arrested and tried in court for lying about the Iraq War, outing C.I.A. agent Valerie Plame, contempt of Congress, and supporting torture.
"We are demanding accountability from Karl Rove who lied to get us into the war and outed C.I.A. agent Valerie Plame," said CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin. "If law enforcement and Congress won't do it, we the American people will!"
For more information, please call Nancy Mancias at 415-342-6409 or Rae Abileah at 415-994-1723.
CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.
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