'We Need Peace!': CodePink Anti-War Activist Interrupts Hawley Speech at Warhawk Think Tank
03:14 GMT 17.02.2023 (Updated: 08:25 GMT 17.02.2023)
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Hawley was advocating for the United States to take a more aggressive approach with China.
While giving a speech to the notoriously pro-war think tank The Heritage Foundation, US Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) was interrupted by CodePink organizer Olivia DiNucci who was quickly removed from the stage.
Hawley was speaking about the situations in Ukraine and Taiwan, arguing the United States should limit its funding of the Zelensky regime and focus on a potential conflict in China over the island of Taiwan.
DiNucci was sitting in the front row as the senator began his speech. She then stands up and gets on stage displaying a sign that said: “People & Planet Not War & Aggression CodePink.”
DiNucci reminded Hawley and the crowd that the US has the largest military in the world. “We spend over one trillion dollars every day,” DiNucci said. “[In] your state of Missouri… Over a half the people are in poverty!”
A handler then comes and pulls DiNucci off stage as she continues to yell out her message. “China is not our enemy, the climate crisis is,” while the crowd can be heard laughing at the activist. “We need peace and we need diplomacy in Ukraine and with China!”
She then points out that the US spends more on its military than 100 countries combined as she is being removed from the room.
“It’s interesting, this administration wants to use the climate crisis as a justification for its agenda in Ukraine and elsewhere. Maybe they ought to visit with that gal,” Hawley quipped after DiNucci had been removed.
It is unclear what Hawley was referring to but it may have been the assertion by Biden that the situation in Ukraine and the subsequent energy crisis brought on by NATO placing sanctions on Russia proves countries need to be less reliant on fossil fuels.
“We need diplomacy and peace in Ukraine AND in China too! We need cooperation and to work with China to address our common enemy - the biggest threat to humanity and the planet–the climate crisis. No more escalation!” DiNucci said in a statement posted after being escorted from the building. “There is no excuse for Congress people like Hawley who urge to cut social services while almost half of Missouri is suffering from poverty and systemic racism… We need diplomacy and peace now!”
CodePink describes itself as “a feminist grassroots organization working to end US warfare and imperialism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect resources into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.”
Hawley was speaking at the Heritage Foundation, a notoriously pro-war think tank. In October, it rated the US military weak, giving the Navy and Space force “weak” grades, the Air Force a “very weak” grade, the Army a “marginal” grade, and the Marine Corps and Nuclear capabilities “strong” grades. It argues for more military funding, despite more than a trillion dollars being spent on the Department of Defense and other war-adjacent programs.
In his speech, Hawley was criticizing current US foreign policy.
"Our actions in Ukraine are directly affecting our ability to deter China in the Pacific.We cannot defend Ukraine and stop China in Taiwan at the same time. ... The United States should "stop writing blank checks to Ukraine," he stated.
Ukraine and Taiwan require Stinger and Javelin missiles, but the US industrial base cannot produce enough for both countries while replenishing supplies for the US armed forces as well with its still limited manufacturing capacity, Hawley said.
"We need a new burden sharing relationship with NATO. The Europeans take the lead in Europe and we take the lead in Asia. ... Our current foreign policy is fanciful and cannot be sustained. ...The Pacific is the key theater for us," Howley said.
The Heritage foundation rose to prominence in the 1980s when it lobbied the Reagan administration to take a hard-line stance against the Soviet Union. The group has been credited for convincing the Reagan White House to call the Soviet Union an “evil empire.” According to the Atlantic, former US President Ronald Reagan handed out a condensed version of its “Mandate for Leadership” at his first cabinet meeting.
The foundation also advocated for the war in Iraq and promoted the lie that Saddam Hussein was working with terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda*.
In 2015, emails from the Heritage Foundation leaked and revealed a close relationship with weapon manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin which was one of the foundation’s major donors.The emails were dated between 2008 and 2009.
One email quoted a donor, Robert W. Ellis as saying: “You can kill ‘em as fast as they’re making ‘em” in reference to Muslims. Ellis gave $250,000 to the foundation. Other emails showed donors who believed then-President Barack Obama was a practicing Muslim.
The Heritage Foundation was also instrumental in crafting the AFRICOM strategy developed by the Bush Administration. It established US military bases in Africa with the goal of transforming the continent to be more in line with US interests.
As a statement released by CodePink points out, the US military is the largest institutional consumer of oil and causes more greenhouse gas emissions than 140 nations combined.
* A terrorist group outlawed in Russia and many other states
