More than 50 activists from Code Pink, a far-left organization, protested in Congress on Wednesday afternoon against the war in Ukraine. Activists called on more progressive Democratic lawmakers to pressure Joe Biden’s administration to negotiate with Russia to end the war.
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, said she and other protesters were “shocked” and “embarrassed” that Democrats have “remained silent” on the issue. She criticized that Democrats continue to support more weapons packages without asking for any type of negotiation, according to The Hill.
The group’s activist questioned the phrase “You cannot negotiate” with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
“We say: try it. We want to see Biden speak,” Benjamin said, as reported by The Hill. “We care about lives. “We care about human survival and we don’t believe we will survive as a species if we allow this to continue,” he added.
According to the information, many of the activists said they were not Putin apologists and condemned the Russian invasion, but maintained that the United States has played a leading role in the war and should try to stop it.
For the protesters, the only possible way to end the conflict is through negotiation.
“This is not an epic fight between democracy and autocracy,” said Marcy Winograd, co-chair of the Ukraine Peace Coalition. “We want negotiations without preconditions. No, ‘We won’t sit down until Russia abandons every inch of Ukraine and Crimea.’ No, we want it now. I have two grandchildren. “I don’t want this for their future.”
Democrats responded
The main response from the Democratic congressmen was that Putin does not have the will to negotiate, according to The Hill.
Max Hoffman, a foreign policy adviser to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, said Russia launches daily attacks on Ukraine, including against civilians. “Ukrainians are on their own territory and have the right to defend themselves,” he stressed.
Senator Sanders later sent a letter to the protesters. In it, Sanders shared his concerns about the war, however, he said he was also horrified by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Ukrainians have the right to resist this attack, both morally and under international law,” he wrote. “Putin and his oligarch friends seek a divided world and the destruction of democracy. “The United States should support a just peace in Ukraine, based on the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and international law.”
Ryan Morgan, political advisor in the office of Democratic Congressman Ilhan Omar from Minnesota, responded that diplomacy was not as simple as pressing a button, and that neither Russia nor Ukraine have shown an interest in resolving the conflict through diplomatic means.
Arrests
At least 11 of the protesters were arrested outside Senator Sanders’ office. According to the outlet, several older adults, including a disabled woman, were handcuffed by the agents or escorted outside.
The organization assured that the movement, in which a group called the Ukraine Peace Coalition also participated, entered 12 congressional offices belonging to progressive and Democratic legislators.
Code Pink is an organization that has been characterized by having links with left-wing extremist groups, even non-democratic ones. For example, several of its activists traveled to Venezuela earlier this year to express their support for the socialist regime of Nicolás Maduro.
Keep reading:
- Antony Blinken tries to convince skeptics in the United States to continue supporting Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion
- NATO chief warns Ukraine allies to prepare for ‘long war’
- Four pro-Maduro activists who occupied the Venezuelan embassy in Washington are arrested