By Joseph Akahome
- George Clooney leaves the Washington Metropolitan Police Department after being arrested outside the Embassy
Actor George Clooney has been released by police after being earlier arrested on March 16, 2012 for ‘disorderly crossing of a police line’ during a protest at Sudan’s embassy in Washington against the former’s alleged blockade of humanitarian aid. The actor was reportedly released after posting a bond of $100.
George and his journalist father Nick Clooney had been at the forefront of protesters who had taken their campaign to the steps of Sudan’s mission in Washington’s Embassy Row, ignoring several warnings by police to leave the premises.
The actor however hinted that getting arrested in a bid to focus more attention on the cause was part of the plan initially.
‘It is on my permanent record’, he joked with reporters upon his release. ‘And you know that that picture’s going to be all over everything’.
‘Listen, what we’ve been trying to achieve today is we’re trying to bring attention to an ongoing emergency’, he continued. ‘Our job right now is to try to bring attention to it, and one of those ways was, apparently, get arrested’.
‘You never know if you’re going to accomplish anything, all we’re trying to do is bring attention to a moment. We hope this brings attention to it’.
According to UN estimates 2.7 million people have been displaced since the conflict in Darfur begin in 2003, and it is claimed nearly 300,000 people have been killed.
Clooney has long been involved in raising awareness about the situation in Sudan.
In 2007 he wrote a letter to Angela Merkel asking them to take ‘decisive action’ in the region after Omar al-Bashir refused to acknowledge UN resolutions.
