Clooney’s arrest was self-induced.
George Clooney was arrested today during a Sudanese Embassy protest. The situation Clooney was protesting, however, was of his own making.
Let me explain. Originally, Clooney (and other activists from the Save Darfur campaign) were demanding Sudanese President al-Bashir, be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes. This pissed off al-Bashir who then kicked out the humanitarian aid workers from Sudan, because they were the ones providing evidence to the ICC. This left the Sudanese people without this much needed aid. The reason Clooney was protesting today (and got arrested) was because he was protesting al-Bashir’s decision to kick out the aid workers. It’s a sad cycle.
Maybe if Clooney listened to competing Sudan activists and commentators (such as Julie Flint, who argued that the ICC is not the way to go, but quieter diplomacy and patient mediation would produce better results) the Sudanese would still have aid workers, peace in the Sudan would be a bit closer, and he wouldn’t have been in the position to be arrested today.
I’ve discussed the problems with Clooney’s Save Darfur campaign previously.
