National Twitter Blast Thursday to support AMP staffers, facing six months in jail
We need your help to get criminal charges against AMP staffers Taher Herzallah and Kareem El-Hosseiny dropped at their status hearing on April 20.
Capitol Hill Police arrested six people protesting at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing of David Friedman as ambassador to Israel on Feb. 16, 2017. Herzallah and El-Hosseiny -- the only two Arabs and Muslims in the group -- are also the only two facing criminal charges filed against them by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Three of the white Jewish protesters were allowed to pay a small fine the same day. One had his case transferred to traffic court.
Herzallah and El-Hosseiny face six months in jail and a $500 fine.
We feel that Herzallah and El-Hosseiny were targeted for selective prosecution.
We intend to vigorously challenge this selective prosecution, on the grounds that the charges were based on racial, religious, and ethnic bias. We need your help to support our challenge and to get the charges dropped.
This is not a Muslim vs. Jewish issue. Indeed, the Jewish protesters from Code Pink and IfNotKnow, who also were arrested, have rallied around the AMP staffers. No one should have been detained because the protesters were exercising their constitutional rights to free speech and political dissent.
Herzallah and El-Hosseiny are due to appear before DC Superior Court on April 20.
Please help us make noise to get the charges dropped.
There are three ways you can help:
Twitter blast from Noon to 3 p.m. EST, on Thursday, April 13. We’re targeting media to get coverage
Join our rally outside the courthouse, 500 Indiana Ave., NW, at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, April 20.
Fill Courtroom 311 at 9 a.m., Thursday, April 20.
We need to show Associate Judge Marisa Demeo that we reject bigotry and discrimination in all its forms. Let’s send a message of inclusions and show the court what allyship looks like.
These actions are supported by Code Pink, IfNotNow, JVP-DC, JVP-NY, FOSNA, USPCN and USCPR.