Under the slogan, "Nobel Laureates SHOULDN'T IMPRISON Nobel Nominees," anti-war and LGBT activists will highlight the Obama administration's prosecution of alleged wikileaker Private Bradley Manning with a picket at the start of the April 23-25 Nobel Laureates' Summit in Chicago. The protest will begin at 12 noon outside the UIC Forum at 725 W. Roosevelt Road.
Manning is a two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee who, activists say, is far more deserving of peace and human rights accolades than Nobel laureate President Obama. Manning is facing possible life in prison
Manning is accused providing to Wikileaks the U.S. State Department cables which exposed the Bush and Obama administrations' dirty dealings with a host of dictators and human rights abusers around the world, and evidence of U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama, in contrast, has greatly expanded the wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. Last year saw the greatest number of deaths in Afghanistan, the longest war in U.S. history.
"The Obama and Emanuel administrations organized the Nobel summit to give a pro-peace, pro-human rights gloss to NATO, using the Nobel laureates as window-dressing to rehabilitate the largest military alliance in world history," said anti-NATO organizer Andy Thayer. "Nothing could be further from the ideals espoused by Arthur Nobel when he set up the Prize and it's a travesty that President Obama would use the Peace Prize to promote his pro-war policies."
Last week Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead Maguire, who won the prize for her work on Ireland and was scheduled to attend the Summit of Nobel Laureates meeting, canceled her appearance citing a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the State Department is an "active partner" in the event.
The protest is co-sponsored by the Gay Liberation Network and Occupy Chicago.