2/فبراير/يوم دارفور في UN رجاء الاتصال بهذا الرقم 4154050(212)

Quote: January 23, 2006 February is the Month: Protect Darfur Join Africa Action in two important days of action. On February 1st we are hosting a National Call-In Day to the United Nations (UN) and on February 2nd we are hosting a rally and direct action at noon at the White House. Join us at this critical moment to Stop Genocide in Darfur, Sudan. This is the moment of truth. Violence in Darfur is escalating, and for the first time the United Nations (UN), the African Union and the U.S. have called for an urgent multinational peacekeeping intervention with a mandate to protect civilians. Since the genocide began in 2003 over 400,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced, their livelihood and villages destroyed by the Sudanese government and their proxy militias. Without an intervention, the violence will continue to rise and threaten the vulnerable people of Darfur and the humanitarian operations indented to help them. The U.S. is the only government to have declared that genocide is taking place in Darfur, giving it a unique responsibility to obtain international action on this crisis. For the month of February, the U.S. is the President of the UN Security Council, providing an ideal moment for the U.S. to lead the international community to stop genocide. Join us to tip the balance and push the Bush Administration to take the action necessary to stop genocide in Darfur. To learn more about this critical moment and the need for a multinational intervention please see our fact sheet, statement and escalation campaign strategy. February 1st – National Call-In Day to the United Nations February 1st is the first day of the U.S. presidency of the UN Security Council. Let’s call U.S. Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, and ask him to take the action necessary to stop genocide in Darfur. By calling the mission we demonstrate how many people across this nation care to see action on Darfur and we send the message that we are watching the U.S. while they are in this leadership position at the UN. On February 1st, a national call-in day on Darfur, please call the UN with the following message: “Hello. I am calling with a message for U.S. Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton. Mr. Bolton, as you take the presidency of the Security Council, I urge you to introduce a resolution for a multinational intervention in Darfur in support of the African Union with a mandate to protect civilians. As the violence continues to rise in Darfur, there is no more time to waste. Anything short of a resolution will be a lost opportunity. Thank you.” You can reach the U.S. Mission at the United Nations by calling: (212) 415-4050. We will send an alert with more details about this call-in day on February 1st, so feel free to Sign Up for our alerts today. February 2nd – February is the Month: Protect Darfur February 2, 2006 12:00 Noon Lafayette Park (16th and H Streets NW) Washington, DC The rally on February 2nd will include engaging speakers and creative street theater. The rally will be held in Lafayette Park, in front of the White House. If the U.S. has not complied with our demand for a UN Security Council Resolution, after the rally, a select group of activists will cross over to the White House sidewalk and engage in a dignified act of civil disobedience to draw attention to the urgency of our demands. You can participate fully in the rally without any risk of arrest. We have a permit for the rally and it will be safe to participate in. The planned civil disobedience will be organized seperately but paralel to the rally. If you plan to risk arrest, we will ask you to sit with other select leaders on the White House sidewalk with signs about Darfur. You will be given three warnings. If you do not stand up and leave after the second warning you will be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. You MUST be at least 18 years old and have with you a valid photo identification to risk arrest. Once arrested you will be processed at a local station and fined $75. Please come prepared to pay the fine and expect that it will take between 2-4 hours to be processed. We can provide you with the address of the station so that you can arrange your travel home. Please do not wear or bring anything extra, as it will take you longer to be processed. Avoid wearing jewlery, shoelaces, belts or carrying anything in your pockets. If you would like to take part in the direct action, please contact the office at [email protected] with the subject “arrest” or call 202-546-7961 by close of business on Tuesday, January 31st so that we can brief you on the details of the scenario and ensure your safety. Help Spread the Word Download a flyer Download a postcard Can’t Come? Send a postcard to the President. If you cannot join us on February 2nd, consider sending a postcard to the President. You can take this action today! Logistics for February 2nd What to Bring: If it is sunny, bring a hat and sunglasses. Lafayette Park has some trees but we will be mostly out in the direct sun. If it is rainy, bring an umbrella and rain gear, as we will not have a tent. If it is snowing, dress warmly. Don’t forget your hat, gloves, scarf and your warm winter coat. Feel free to bring signs or messages for President Bush and noise makers to be used at appropriate times in the rally. If you have been collecting postcards in the postcard campaign, feel free to bring them along and we would be happy to mail them for you. Directions to Lafayette Park By Metro: The closest metro station is McPherson’s Square, which is on the Orange and Blue lines. Exit toward the White House. You will see the park in one block. From Maryland: From Rt. 50 Take Rt. 50 West following signs for Washington DC. Once in DC, 50 West becomes New York Avenue. Follow signs to stay on New York Avenue. Take a RIGHT from New York Avenue on 15th Street NW. Take a LEFT from 15th Street NW onto I Street NW. Take a LEFT from I Street NW onto 16th Street NW. Find Parking From Virginia: From Rt. 50 Take Rt. 50 East until it becomes Constitution Avenue. Take a LEFT from Constitution onto 18th Street NW. Take a RIGHT from 18th Street NW onto H Street NW. Find Parking From Rt. 66: Take Rt. 66 East into Washington DC Exit on Constitution Avenue. Take a LEFT from Constitution onto 18th Street NW. Take a RIGHT from 18th Street NW onto H Street NW. Find Parking. From 395: Take 395 North. Exit 14th Street. Follow 14th Street North to I Street NW. Take a LEFT on I Street NW. Take a LEFT on 16th Street NW. Find Parking. Parking: There is both street parking and parking garages. The closest parking garages are on Conneticut Ave. between H and I Streets and on I Street between 16th and Connecticut/17th Street. Coming in from Out of Town? Things to do and see while in DC: See the Darfur Children’s Exhibit Children are the youngest survivors of this genocide, and their drawings depict the atrocities that they face. Dr. Jerry Ehrlich, a pediatrician from New Jersey, collected drawings from children in Darfur while he was working in one of the camps for internally displaced people. Africa Action has converted these drawings into an exhibit to help remind people of the on-going genocide in Darfur. You can visit the exhibit at the United Methodist Building at 100 Maryland Avenue, NE, Washington DC from Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Set up a meeting with your Senators and Representative! We are aware that you might be coming in from out of town for a relatively short and powerful event, so we encourage you to make the most of your advocacy time in Washington DC by setting up meetings with your Senators and Representative. A guide to Working with Members of Congress can be downloaded from our Activist Toolkit. You can find your Senators and Representatives – and even contact them directly – through our Action Center. When you meet with your congress people or their staff, encourage them to contact the State Department and the White House to ask that President Bush use this important opportunity to introduce a resolution at the UN. If you have any questions about the message for the meeting, or need support in setting up the visit, feel free to contact us at 202-546-7961 or [email protected]. Visit the Darfur Exhibit at the Holocaust Museum Genocide Emergency – Darfur, Sudan: Who Will Survive Today? A display of photographs and extensive resource materials documenting the need for urgent action in the Darfur region of Sudan. This exhibit is located at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Wexner Learning Center on the Second Floor, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW Washington, DC 20024–2126. Main telephone: (202) 488–0400. Daily 10 a.m. – 5:20 pm. Where to stay? Please click here for a list of affordable hotels and hostels in the D.C. area. Places to Stay