Gilad Atzmon גלעד עצמון
Atzmon in concert, February 2007
Born	Gilad Atzmon (1963-06-09) June 9, 1963 (age 49) Tel Aviv, Israel
Residence	London
Nationality	Israeli and British[1]
Education	Rubin Academy of Music, University of Essex
Occupation	Musician, Novelist
Known for	Music, political activism
Website
www.gilad.co.uk

Gilad Atzmon (Hebrew: גלעד עצמון‎; born June 9, 1963) is an Israeli-born British jazz saxophonist, novelist, political activist and writer.^[2][3][4][5]

Atzmon's album Exile was BBC jazz album of the year in 2003.^[6] Playing over 100 dates a year,^[4] he has been called "surely the hardest-gigging man in British jazz."^[7] His albums, of which he has recorded thirteen to date,^[8] often explore the music of the Middle East and political themes. He has described himself as a "devoted political artist."^[2]

A profile in The Guardian in 2009 which described Atzmon as "one of London's finest saxophonists" stated: "It is Atzmon's blunt anti-Zionism rather than his music that has given him an international profile, particularly in the Arab world, where his essays are widely read."^[4] His criticisms of Zionism, Jewish identity, and Judaism, as well as his controversial views on The Holocaust and Jewish history have led to allegations of antisemitism and racism^[9][10] from both Zionists and anti-Zionists.

Early life[link]

Atzmon was born in a secular Jewish family in Tel Aviv, and trained at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem.^[11]

He first became interested in British jazz when he discovered some in a British record shop in Jerusalem in the 1970s. He initially was inspired by the work of Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes and regarded London as "the Mecca of Jazz."^[6] He also was influenced to become a jazz musician by the work of Charlie Parker, in particular Charlie Parker with Strings recorded in 1949. Atzmon said of the album that he "loved the way the music is both beautiful and subversive – the way he basks in the strings but also fights against them."^[4] He worked with top bands as a musical producer.^[12]

In 1994,^[13] Atzmon emigrated from Israel to London, where he attended the University of Essex^[14] and earned a Masters degree in Philosophy.^[2] He has lived there since,^[3] becoming a British citizen in 2002.^[1]

Music[link]

While Atzmon's main instrument is the alto saxophone, he also plays soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones and clarinet, sol, zurna and flute.^[11] Atzmon's jazz style has been described as bebop/hard bop, with forays into free jazz and swing, and seemingly inspired by John Coltrane and Miles Davis.^[13] Atzmon sometimes plays the alto and soprano sax simultaneously.^[13]

Atzmon's works have also explored the music of the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe.^[15] Atzmon told The Guardian that he draws on Arabic music which he says cannot be notated like western music but must be internalised, which he calls "reverting to the primacy of the ear". Atzmon's musical method has been to play with notions of cultural identity, flirting with genres such as tango and klezmer as well as various Arabic, Balkan, Gypsy and Ladino folk forms. Atzmon's recordings deliberately differ from his live shows. "I don't think that anyone can sit in a house, at home, and listen to me play a full-on bebop solo. It's too intense. My albums need to be less manic."^[4]

Collaborations and groups[link]

Atzmon joined the veteran punk rock band Ian Dury and the Blockheads in 1998, and continued with The Blockheads after Dury's death.^[16][17] He also has recorded and performed with Shane McGowan, Robbie Williams, Sinéad O'Connor, Robert Wyatt and Paul McCartney.^[11][15] He has recorded two albums with Robert Wyatt, who describes him as "one of the few musical geniuses I've ever met".^[4]

Atzmon has collaborated, recorded and performed with musicians from all around the world, including the Palestinian singer, Reem Kelani, Tunisian singer and oud player Dhafer Youssef, violinist Marcel Mamaliga, accordion player Romano Viazzani, bassist Yaron Stavi, violinist and trumpet-violin player, Dumitru Ovidiu Fratila, and Guillermo Rozenthuler on vocals.^[13]

Atzmon founded the Orient House Ensemble band in London in 2000 with Asaf Sirkis on drums, Frank Harrison on piano and Oli Hayhurst on bass. In 2003 Yaron Stavi replaced Hayhurst. In 2009 Eddie Hick replaced Sirkis.^[18][19] The group was named after Orient House, the former East Jerusalem headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization, later seized by the Israeli Defense Forces.^[20][21] The band has produced eight albums. Orient House celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2010, announcing a 40-date tour and a new album.^[20][22]

Robert Wyatt, who has said that Atzmon combines "great artistry with a sense of the intrinsically non-racialist philosophy that's implicit in jazz,"^[23] worked with Atzmon and others on his 2007 album Comercopia .^[24] Wyatt collaborated with Atzmon and Ros Stephens, as well as lyricist Alfreda Benge, on the 2010 album For the Ghosts Within, released on Domino Records.^[25][26]

Atzmon produced and arranged 2 albums for British-American singer songwriter Sarah Gillespie Stalking Juliet (2009) and In The Current Climate (2011). Both albums were critically acclaimed.^[27][28] Atzmon tours extensively as part of Sarah Gillespie's band, playing saxophone, clarinet and accordion.^[29]

Atzmon is on the creative panel of the Global Music Foundation,^[11] a non-profit organization formed in December 2004 which runs residential educational and performance workshops and events in different countries around the world.^[30] and also offers personal workshops to students.^[31] A musical transcription of ten saxophone solos by Atzmon was released in 2010.^[32]

Reviews[link]

Atzmon and his ensemble have received favorable reviews from Hi-Fi World, Financial Times, The Scotsman, Birmingham Post, The Sunday Times and The Independent.^[33] Reviews of his 2007 album Refuge included:

Manchester Evening News: "The individuality of the music is extraordinary. No one is more willing to serve his music with raw political passion, and that curious cantor-like tone on clarinet is immediately arresting, like Artie Shaw writhing in his death throes."^[34]

EjazzNews: "For sheer improvisational fireworks, quirky humour and genre-defying invention, one will be hard-pressed to find a bandleader as unique as Gilad Atzmon." ("EjazzNews," September 2008)^[35]

BBC: "...the OHE is finding its voice in an increasingly subtle blend of East and West, that’s brutal and beautiful."^[36]

In February 2009 The Guardian music critic John Fordham reviewed Atzmon's newest album In loving memory of America which Atzmon describes as "a memory of America I had cherished in my mind for many years". It includes five standards and six originals "inspired by the sumptuous harmonies and impassioned sax-playing of (Charlie) Parker's late-40s recordings with classical strings".^[37]

While the music journalist John Lewis praises much of Atzmon's work, he notes that "trenchant politics often sit uneasily alongside music, particularly when that music is instrumental". Lewis criticized his 2006 comedy klezmer project, Artie Fishel and the Promised Band, as "a clumsy satire on what he regards as the artificial nature of Jewish identity politics."^[4]

Awards[link]

Atzmon was the recipient of the HMV Top Dog Award at the Birmingham International Jazz Festival in 1996–1998.^[13] Gilad Atzmon's Exile was BBC jazz album of the year in 2003.^[38]

Activism[link]

Gilad Atzmon's service as a paramedic in the Israeli Defense Forces during the 1982 Lebanon War caused him to conclude that "I was part of a colonial state, the result of plundering and ethnic cleansing."^[1][4] He told an interviewer that it was there he first learned about Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, legislation to prevent their return, and the wiping out of Palestinian villages. “We were indoctrinated into a denial of the Palestinian Cause. We were not aware of it.”^[39]

Atzmon supports the Palestinian right of return and the one-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.^[5]

Music journalists have commented on the link between Atzmon’s jazz and radical politics. Peter Bacon has written that Atzmon reminds us of "the strong link between jazz and the radical politics that are sometimes the only way to ensure its – and our – freedom."^[40] Chris Searle's book entitled Forward Groove: Jazz and the Real World from Louis Armstrong to Gilad Atzmon, which chronicles the development of jazz alongside political protest movements, holds that "the torch continues to be carried by contemporary musicians such as Israeli-born alto saxman Gilad Atzmon who dreams of a free and united Palestine."^[41][42] Atzmon’s activism has included conducting musical fundraisers,^[43] contributing to activist publications,^[44] and speaking engagements.^[45][46] In 2010 he appeared on Russia Today television network to speak about the Israeli raid on the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla".^[47]

Atzmon has defined himself variously as a "secular Jew",^[3] a "proud self-hating Jew",^[39][48] an "ex-Jew"^[49]"a Jew who hates Judaism"^[50] and "a Hebrew-speaking Palestinian."^[3] Atzmon told interviewer Theo Panayides “I don’t write about politics, I write about ethics. I write about Identity. I write a lot about the Jewish Question – because I was born in the Jew-land, and my whole process in maturing into an adult was involved with the realisation that my people are living on stolen land.”^[39] Atzmon has said that his experience in the military of “my people destroying other people left a big scar” and led to his decision that he was deluded about Zionism. He has condemned “Jewishness” as "very much a supremacist, racist tendency". He states that "I don't have anything against Jews in particular and you won't find that in my writings."^[3] Regarding the one-state solution, Atzmon concedes that such a state probably would be controlled by Islamists, but says, "That's their business."^[4]

Atzmon has compared the Jewish Ideology to that of the Nazis and has described Israel's policy toward the Palestinians as genocide.^[48] David Hirst, in his 2003 book The Gun and the Olive Branch, quotes Atzmon as saying America was “about to lose its sovereignty...becoming a remote colony of an apparently far greater state, the Jewish state.”^[51] In 2009 Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan cited Atzmon's written comment "Israeli barbarity is far beyond even ordinary cruelty" during a debate with Israeli president Shimon Peres.^[4]

Writings[link]

Atzmon's political writings have been published in CounterPunch,^[52] Al-Arab online,^[53] Uruknet,^[54] Middle East Online,^[55] The Palestine Telegraph,^[56] Aljazeera Magazine^[57] and Aljazeerah.info.^[58] (Note neither is connected with the Al Jazeerah news network.)

Novels[link]

Atzmon's A Guide to the Perplexed, published in 2001, is set in 2052 when Israel has been replaced by a Palestinian state. It largely reviews memoirs of the alienated Israeli Gunther Wunker’s rise to fame as a "peepologist," or voyeur. The perplexed are defined as "the unthinking Chosen" who "cling to clods of earth that don't belong to them." The novel excoriates what it describes as the commercialization of the Holocaust and "argues that the Holocaust is invoked as a kind of reflexive propaganda designed to shield the Zionist state from responsibility for any transgression against Palestinians."^[1] A reviewer for The Independent wrote that "Those who still thrill to the pages of Sixties underground "comix" may find some of this amusing, however laboured. Yet even those semi-sympathetic to its politics will find it cheap and "provocative" in the worst possible sense." He also wrote that the book has "just enough connection with reality to give it a certain unsettling power" but concludes "His writing, alas, represents a completely false start."^[59] The Guardian observed it is "odd to mix knob gags with highly serious assertions" but thought it works because "Atzmon writes with so much style and his gags are so hilarious."^[60] Publisher's Weekly noted "Atzmon clearly wants to provoke, but his approach is so familiar that few readers will take the bait."^[61]

Atzmon's second novel, My One and Only Love was published in 2005, and features as a protagonist a trumpeter who chooses to play only one note (extremely well) as well as a spy who uncovers Nazi war criminals and locks them inside double bass cases which then tour permanently in the protagonist's orchestra's luggage.^[62] The book also is comedic take on "Zionist espionage and intrigue" which explores "the personal conflict between being true to one’s heart and being loyal to The Jews".^[63]

[edit] The Wandering Who?

In 2011, Zero Books published Atzmon's book The Wandering Who? A Study of Jewish Identity Politics whose publisher states the book "examines Jewish identity politics and Jewish contemporary ideology using both popular culture and scholarly texts."^[64] Five academics, a journalist and an author were quoted in blurbs in the front of the book. John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago wrote that "Gilad Atzmon has written a fascinating and provocative book on Jewish identity in the modern world" and that the book "should be widely read by Jews and non-Jews alike." Richard Falk wrote it was "absorbing and moving" book that everyone who "care[s] about real peace" should "not only read, but reflect upon and discuss widely." James Petras wrote that the book is "a series of brilliant illuminations and critical reflections on Jewish ethnocentrism and the hypocrisy of those who speak in the name of universal values and act tribal" which "uncovers the links between Jewish identity politics in the Diaspora with their ardent support for the oppressive policies of the Israeli state." He also wrote that Atzmon “has the courage to...speak truth to the power of highly placed and affluent Zionists who shape the agendas of war and peace in the English-speaking world."^[64][65]

Ten anti-Zionist authors, including Laurie Penny and Richard Seymour (writer), all of whom have also been published by Zero Books, publicly condemned the publisher in an open letter for releasing the book.^[66] They signed a statement arguing:

"The thrust of Atzmon’s work is to normalise and legitimise anti-Semitism. We do not believe that Zero’s decision to publish this book is malicious. Atzmon’s ability to solicit endorsements from respectable figures such as Richard Falk and John Mearsheimer shows that he is adept at muddying the waters both on his own views and on the question of anti-Semitism. But at a time when dangerous forces are attempting to racialise political antagonisms, we think the decision is grossly mistaken."^[67]

In The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg quoted Atzmon on the Holocaust, Jewish “persecution of Hitler” and Jewish “trafficking in body parts” and took John Mearsheimer to task for “endorsing the writing of a man who espouses neo-Nazi views.”^[68] Mearsheimer replied via his co-author professor Stephen Walt’s blog that “There is no question that the book is provocative, both in terms of its central argument and the overly hot language that Atzmon sometimes uses. But it is also filled with interesting insights that make the reader think long and hard about an important subject. Of course, I do not agree with everything that he says in the book -- what blurber does?”^[69]

Alan Dershowitz wrote a critical opinion piece arguing that “some of Israel’s most vocal detractors are crossing a red line between acceptable criticism of Israel and legitimizing anti-Semitism.” Dershowitz uses numerous quotes from the book to support his position that Atzmon is an antisemite who states Jews seek to control the world, conflates “the Jew” and “the Zionist”, writes that Jews are evil and a menace to humanity, encourages readers to doubt the Holocaust and Jewish history, and holds that "Jews are corrupt and responsible for ‘why’ they are ‘hated’ and that Israel is worse than the Nazis." Dershowitz argues that “Even the most radical anti-Zionists in England have distanced themselves from Atzmon.” He writes that “hard-core neo-Nazis, racists, anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers” endorse Atzmon, including David Duke, Kevin B. MacDonald and Israel Shamir.^[66]

He criticizes John Mearsheimer and Richard Falk for endorsing the book and encouraging colleagues, students, and others to read and “reflect upon” Atzmon’s views. He also criticizes other academics who have defended Atzmon, including Brian Leiter, William A. Cook, Oren Ben-Dor, and Makram Khoury-Machool. Dershowitz then challenged professors Mearsheimer and Falk to a “public debate about why they have endorsed and said such positive things about so hateful and anti-Semitic a book by so bigoted and dishonest a writer.”^[66] Falk rejected Dershowitz' call to debate and wrote to The Daily Caller “I have a limited taste for the sort of defamatory polemics that the Dershowitz attack mounts.” He wrote that "if the book is fairly read, and not denounced, it is concerned exclusively with ‘Jewish identity,’ not with Jews, and explores this reality in a highly personal, passionate, provocative, and honest manner.”^[70]

Gilad Atzmon offered to debate Dershowitz "any time."^[71] He called various criticisms "a typical Hasbara smear & intimidation campaign.”^[72] Atzmon replied to the MacDonald review referenced by Dershowitz writing his own book "is a study of Jewish identity politics and Jewish culture, it is not concerned with Jewish ethnicity or racial origins."^[73]

Allegations of antisemitism[link]

John Lewis writes that Atzmon's anti-Jewish rhetoric has created many foes for Atzmon,^[4] even onetime associates. Some Palestinian activists see his statements as discrediting their cause,^[74] while the British Socialist Workers Party, which at one time regularly invited him to their annual Marxism event, now distances itself from Atzmon.^[4]

Several of Atzmon's statements regarding Jews and Judaism have led to allegations of antisemitism. In 2004 the Board of Deputies of British Jews criticized Atzmon for saying, "I'm not going to say whether it is right or not to burn down a synagogue, I can see that it is a rational act."^[75] Atzmon responded in a letter to The Observer that "since Israel presents itself as the 'state of the Jewish people’ ... any form of anti-Jewish activity may be seen as political retaliation. This does not make it right."^[76]

In a 2005 opinion piece David Aaronovitch criticized Atzmon for writing in his essay "On Anti-Semitism"^[77] that "We must begin to take the accusation that the Jewish people are trying to control the world very seriously." and "American Jewry makes any debate on whether the 'Protocols of the Elders of Zion' are an authentic document or rather a forged irrelevant. American Jews do control the world, by proxy. So far they are doing pretty well for themselves at least"; Aaronovitch said Atzmon was "a silly boy advancing slightly dangerous arguments."^[78] Aaronovitch also criticized Atzmon for circulating an essay by Paul Eisen defending Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel and supporting many aspects of Zündel's Holocaust denial theories. Aaronovitch wrote that Atzmon said he had a "slightly different" view than Eisen: "the Holocaust like any other historical narrative is a dynamic process of realisation and interpretation."^[78] Atzmon has said he does not deny the Holocaust or the “Nazi Judeocide” but insists “that both the Holocaust and World War II should be treated as historical events rather than as religious myth. . . . But then, even if we accept the Holocaust as the new Anglo-American liberal-democratic religion, we must allow people to be atheists.”^[79] In a 2006 opinion piece in The Guardian, David Hirsh cited Atzmon's "On Anti-Semitism" essay, and particularly its Jewish deicide claim that "the Jews were responsible for the killing of Jesus," as an example of Atzmon's "openly anti-Jewish rhetoric."^[80] In response to a question about this quote from Lenni Brenner, Atzmon replied that he meant "I find it astonishing that people today happen to be offended by such accusations."^[81]

In 2007 the Swedish Committee Against Anti-Semitism criticized the Swedish Social Democratic Party for inviting Atzmon to speak, saying he had worked to "legitimize the hatred of Jews.” The party defended its choice of speaker.^[82] Nick Cohen, in a 2009 opinion piece for The Observer, criticised Atzmon's declaration that "Jewish ideology is driving our planet into a catastrophe" and "the Jewish tribal mindset – left, centre and right – sets Jews aside of humanity".^[83][84] In his blog for The Times, Oliver Kamm charges Atzmon with antisemitism for his article "Truth, History and Integrity",^[85] in which Atzmon writes, "As it happened, it took me many years to understand that the Holocaust, the core belief of the contemporary Jewish faith, was not at all an historical narrative for historical narratives do not need the protection of the law and politicians. . . . It took me years to accept that the Holocaust narrative, in its current form, doesn’t make any historical sense."^[86]

According to Irish academic David Landy, a former chair of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Atzmon's words, "if not actually anti-Semitic, certainly border on it".^[87] Ynetnews has used Atzmon as an example of Jewish anti-Semitism: "Gilad Atzmon, an Israeli jazz musician, defines himself as anti-Jewish and sees the torching of synagogues as a rational move."^[88]

In a review of Howard Jacobson's 2010 Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Finkler Question, Edward Alexander writes, "the novel’s Holocaust-denying Israeli yored drummer is in fact based upon one Gilad Atzmon, who is better known in England for endorsing the ideology of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and describing the burning of British synagogues as a 'rational act' in retaliation for Israeli actions."^[89]

In September 2011 trade unionist and blogger Andy Newman^[90] wrote in an opinion piece in The Guardian characterized Atzmon's political writing as "a wild conspiracy argument, dripping with contempt for Jews.".^[74] In a letter to the editor printed by the Guardian Atzmon wrote that Newman had "misrepresented" his views and that "how to define a Jew is a loaded topic since Jews define themselves in many different ways, some contradictory, and use those definitions to try to achieve political aims."^[91]

In November 2011, Hope not Hate, a United Kingdom anti-fascism and anti-racism campaign group issued a call to cancel a Gilad Atzmon performance at the "Raise Your Banners" festival of political song.^[92] Bradford Trades Union Council condemned the appearance and the Board of Deputies of British Jews asked the Arts Council, which had funded the festival, to stop the performance.^[93] The Arts Council refused the request. Gerry Sutcliffe, the Labour MP for Bradford South, and the Right Reverend David Ison of the Bradford Cathedral also called for the festival to rescind their invitation to Atzmon.^[94] The Raise Your Banners director said organisers did not believe the claims of anti-semitism. Atzmon said the Trade Union Council’s letter “stitched together” into one quote phrases from five separate paragraphs to make him look racist. He said he wanted an apology.^[93]

In March 2012, a group of leading Palestinian activists issued a statement calling for " the disavowal of Atzmon by fellow Palestinian organizers, as well as Palestine solidarity activists, and allies of the Palestinian people". Describing him as a racist and antisemite, the statement affirmed that "we regard any attempt to link and adopt antisemitic or racist language, even if it is within a self-described anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist politics, as reaffirming and legitimizing Zionism." Signatories to the statement included Ali Abunimah, Naseer Aruri, Omar Barghouti, Nadia Hijab, Joseph Massad and several others.^[95][10]

Atzmon refers to charges of antisemitism as being a "common Zionist silencing apparatus."^[96] He denies both that he is an antisemite and the very existence of antisemitism, stating that "'Anti-Semite' is an empty signifier, no one actually can be an Anti-Semite and this includes me of course. In short, you are either a racist which I am not or have an ideological disagreement with Zionism, which I have."^[97] In 2009, Atzmon said "I've got nothing against the Semite people, I don't have anything against people — I'm anti-Jewish, not anti-Jews."^[48] He added that "Stupidly we interpreted the Nazi defeat as a vindication of the Jewish ideology and the Jewish people", however, "in fact Jewish ideology and Nazi ideology were very similar."^[48] In 2009 Atzmon debated David Aaronovitch and Nick Cohen on the topic of “Anti-Semitism – Alive and Well in Europe?” at the 2009 Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival.^{[45][98][99][100]}

Atzmon says his statements have lost him performance contracts, especially in the United States.^[101] Atzmon has had conflicts with some anti-Zionists who have attempted to stop his performances.^[5][78][102] He has been defended by several contributors to the CounterPunch website,^[5][103] for which Atzmon has written, and some Palestinian and Palestine-solidarity groups have called for him to be shunned as an antisemite.^{[104][105][106]}

Discography[link]

• The Tide Has Changed - Label: World Village — September 2010
• "In loving memory of America" – Label: Enja – January 2009
• Refuge – Label: Enja – October 2007
• Artie Fishel and the Promised Band – Label: WMD – September 2006
• MusiK – Label: Enja – October 2004
• Exile – Label: Enja – March 2004
• Nostalgico – Label: Enja – January 2001
• Gilad Atzmon &The Orient House Ensemble – Label: Enja – 2000
• Juizz Muzic- Label: FruitBeard – 1999
• Take it or Leave It – Label: Face Jazz – 1997
• Spiel- Both Sides – Label: MCI – 1995
• Spiel Acid Jazz Band- Label: MCI – 1995
• Spiel- Label: In Acoustic&H.M. Acoustica – 1993

Books[link]

• A Guide to the Perplexed, English translation by Philip Simpson. London: Serpent's Tail, 2002. ISBN 1-85242-826-0
• My one and only love. London: Saqi Books, 2005. ISBN 0-86356-507-7 (pbk.). ISBN 978-0-86356-507-6 (pbk.)
• The Wandering Who?: A Study of Jewish Identity Politics, Zero Books, 2011. ISBN 978-1-84694-875-6

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gilad Atzmon web site
• Brain Lenzo, Gilad Atzmon Interviewed: Each Village is a Reminder, Eurasia Review, 2010-07-13.
• Interview: Gilad Atzmon by Rob Garratt, Evening News 24, November 11, 2009.
• Gilad Atzmon interview on ArabVoices.net, KPFT, June 2009 during visit to Houston, Texas.
• Ivan Hewett, Gilad Altzmon: High-flown ecstasies from an angry man, The Daily Telegraph, September 17, 2007.
• Gilad Atzmon Interviewed by Mary Rizzo, Middle East Online, July, 2007.

Atzmon
Hebrew	עַצְמוֹן
Founded	1975–1983
Council	Misgav
Region	Segev (Lower Galilee)
Coordinates	32°51′59.15″N 35°15′4.71″E / 32.8664306°N 35.2513083°E / 32.8664306; 35.2513083Coordinates: 32°51′59.15″N 35°15′4.71″E / 32.8664306°N 35.2513083°E / 32.8664306; 35.2513083
Population	374
Atzmon

Atzmon (Hebrew: עַצְמוֹן‎‎), formerly known as Segev, is a communal settlement in Gush Segev in the Galilee. It was established in 1975, and situated beside the Yavor junction in 1978. The present location is less than 1 km west of the Misgav Regional Council, and was inhabited by the founders in 1983.

There are about 1,100 members in Atzmon, in 245 households. Housing construction progressed in eight stages. The 8th stage is currently almost completely finished, with most families that already moved in, and a few households that aren't finished.

Atzmon administrative center

Atzmon and its surroundings

External links[link]

• Misgav Regional Council (Hebrew)

This geography of Israel article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Lauren Booth (born Sarah Booth 22 July 1967, Islington, London) is an English broadcaster, journalist and pro-Palestinian activist.^[3] Booth is well-known as Tony Blair's sister-in-law. She currently works for Iran's state-owned 24-hour English language news channel, Press TV.

Biography[link]

Family[link]

Lauren Booth is a half-sister of Cherie Blair and the sixth daughter of the actor Tony Booth; her mother is Pamela Smith (Cohen). She is the sister-in-law of former British prime minister Tony Blair. She was married to actor Craig Darby and the couple have two children, Alexandra and Holly. Her mother was Jewish although Lauren was not brought up a practising Jew.^[4]

Journalistic career[link]

As a journalist, Booth has written for the New Statesman, the Mail on Sunday, the Sunday Times and the Daily Mail. She is a vocal opponent of the Iraq War and a supporter of the Stop the War Coalition; a member of Woodcraft Folk, Media Workers Against the War and the National Union of Journalists. She has been a panellist on the BBC's Have I Got News For You, and a broadcaster on radio and television. She writes columns and features, mainly for the Mail on Sunday. She regularly reviews the UK newspapers on television for Sky News, BBC One and BBC News 24.

In both 2005 and 2006 Booth travelled to the West Bank where she has interviewed Mahmoud Abbas. She gave two speeches on the condition of those living in the West Bank and Gaza, for the Royal Geographical Society and Arab Media Watch.

As of 2010, Booth presents In Focus on the UK's Islam Channel, and Between The Headlines on the Iranian-owned Press TV.^[5][6]

In June 2011, Booth joined Cageprisoners as a patron.^[7]

Reality TV[link]

In 2006 she was a contestant on the ITV reality show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, donating the money she raised to charity Interpal (Palestinian Relief and Development Fund).

Gaza activism[link]

In August 2008 she travelled to Gaza by ship from Cyprus, along with 46 other activists,^[8] to highlight the blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver hearing aids and balloons to a deaf school in Gaza. Booth elected to remain behind in Gaza, and was subsequently refused entry into both Israel and Egypt. She said that she believed that, by refusing her the right to leave Gaza and return to her home country, Israel was in breach of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, specifically regarding freedom of movement.^[9] Booth stated that she believes the "situation in Gaza is a humanitarian crisis on the scale of Darfur" and called Gaza "the largest concentration camp in the world today", although the Jerusalem Post suggested that several photographs of Booth in a well-stocked Gaza grocery "bel[ied] the grim picture she painted of the Strip".^[10] During her visit, Booth received a Palestinian VIP passport from Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.^[11] Booth left Gaza through the Rafah Border Crossing into Egypt on 20 September 2008.

Religious conversion and Criticism[link]

Booth appeared at the Islam Channel's Global Peace and Unity event on October 23, 2010, dressed in loose clothing and with a hijab, declaring: "My name is Lauren Booth, and I am a Muslim".^[12] She explained that she converted to Islam in mid-September, 2010, after her visit to the Shia Fatima al-Masumeh Shrine, dedicated to the sister of eighth Imam Ali Al Rida, in Qom, Iran.^[2][13]

Julie Burchill criticised Booth both for a career in which, "she works as a paid stooge for the murderous Iranian regime's television channel" and asked of her conversion "what sort of woman freely converts to a religion which supports the oppression, torment and murder of thousands of Christians, homosexuals and spirited women, worldwide, every year? The sort of woman who writes love letters to a serial killer, I reckon."^[14]

The Independent's official diarist commented: ‘Can you really claim to have converted to Islam when you’ve only read the first 60 pages of the Koran? What if you don’t like the ending?’^[15]

Personal bankruptcy[link]

In December 2010, Booth filed for bankruptcy.^[16] One of her creditors is her half-sister, Cherie Blair.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Lauren Booth at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Lauren Booth on Press TV about her conversion to Islam

Cynthia McKinney
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 11th District
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	None — district created
Succeeded by	John Linder
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th District
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by	John Linder
Succeeded by	Denise Majette
In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Denise Majette
Succeeded by	Hank Johnson
Personal details
Born	Cynthia Ann McKinney (1955-03-17) March 17, 1955 (age 57) Atlanta, Georgia
Political party	Democratic (1986-2007) Green Party (2007-present)
Spouse(s)	Coy Grandison (divorced)
Residence	Lithonia, Georgia
Alma mater	University of Southern California
Occupation	high school teacher, college professor
Religion	Roman Catholic

Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955) is an American politician and activist. McKinney was a member of the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party of the United States nominated McKinney for President of the United States. She was the first African-American woman to have represented Georgia in the House.^[1]

In the 1992 election, McKinney was elected in the newly re-created 11th District,^[2] and was re-elected in 1994. When her district was redrawn and renumbered due to the Supreme Court of the United States ruling in Miller v. Johnson,^[1][3][4] McKinney was easily elected from the new 4th District in the 1996 election, and was re-elected twice without substantive opposition.

McKinney was defeated by Denise Majette in the 2002 Democratic primary. Some people believe she was defeated because of Republican crossover voting in Georgia's open primary election, which permits anyone from any party to vote in any party primary and "usually rewards moderate candidates and penalizes those outside the mainstream."^[5] Others believe that her defeat was due to her "her controversial profile, which included support for Arab causes and a suggestion that Bush knew in advance of the September 11 attacks."^[5]

After her 2002 loss, McKinney traveled and gave speeches, and served as a Commissioner in The Citizens' Commission on 9-11. On October 26, 2004, she was among 100 Americans and 40 family members of those who were killed on 9/11 who signed the 9/11 Truth Movement statement, calling for new investigations into unexplained aspects of the 9/11 events.^[6] McKinney was re-elected to the House in November 2004, following her successor's run for Senate. In Congress, she advocated unsealing records pertaining to the CIA's role in assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the murder of Tupac Shakur and continued to criticize the Bush Administration over the 9/11 attacks. She supported anti-war legislation and introduced articles of impeachment against President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

She was defeated by Hank Johnson in the 2006 Democratic primary,^[7] after finding herself in the national spotlight again over the March 29, 2006, Capitol Hill police incident, where she struck a Capitol Hill Police officer for stopping her to ask for identification. She left the Democratic Party in September 2007.^[8]

Members of the United States Green Party had attempted to recruit McKinney for their ticket in both 2000 and 2004. She eventually ran as the Green Party nominee in the 2008 presidential election^[9][10] receiving 0.12% of the votes cast.^[11]

Early life and political career[link]

Cynthia McKinney was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the daughter of Leola McKinney, a retired nurse, and Billy McKinney, a law enforcement officer and former Georgia State Representative.

McKinney was exposed to the Civil Rights Movement through her father, an activist who regularly participated in demonstrations across the south. As a police officer, he challenged the discriminatory policies of the Atlanta Police Department, publicly protesting in front of the station, often carrying young McKinney on his shoulders. He became a state representative, and McKinney attributes her father's election victory after several failed attempts to the passage of the Voting Rights Act passed by Lyndon B. Johnson.^[12]

McKinney earned a B.A. in international relations from the University of Southern California, an M.A. in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. She worked as a high school teacher and later as a university professor.

Her political career began in 1986 when her father, a representative in the Georgia House of Representatives, submitted her name as a write-in candidate for the Georgia state house. She got about 40% of the popular vote, despite the fact that she lived in Jamaica at the time with then-husband Coy Grandison (with whom she had a son, Coy McKinney, born in 1985). In 1988, McKinney ran for the same seat and won, making the McKinneys the first father and daughter to simultaneously serve in the Georgia state house.

In 1991, she spoke aggressively against the Gulf War, causing many legislators to walk out in protest of her remarks.^[13]

In 2007, McKinney moved from her longtime residence in the Atlanta suburb of Stone Mountain to California.^[14]

First terms in Congress[link]

In the 1992 election, McKinney was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as the member of Congress from the newly created 11th District, a 64% black district spanning from Atlanta to Savannah. She was the first African American woman to represent Georgia in the House.^[1] She was re-elected in 1994.

In 1995 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Miller v. Johnson that the 11th District was an unconstitutional gerrymander because the boundaries were drawn based on the racial composition of the constituents.^[1] McKinney's district was subsequently renumbered as the 4th and redrawn to take in almost all of DeKalb County, prompting outrage from McKinney. She asserted that it was a racially discriminatory ruling, given the fact that the Supreme Court had previously ruled that Texas's 6th District, which is 91 percent white, was constitutional.^[1]

The new 4th, however, was no less Democratic than the 11th, and McKinney was easily elected from this district in 1996. She was re-elected two more times with no substantive opposition.

On October 17, 2001, McKinney introduced a bill calling for "the suspension of the use, sale, development, production, testing, and export of depleted uranium munitions pending the outcome of certain studies of the health effects of such munitions. . . ." The bill was cosponsored by Reps. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, Puerto Rico; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio; Barbara Lee, D-Ca.; and Jim McDermott, D-Wash.^[15]

Criticism of Al Gore[link]

During the 2000 presidential campaign, McKinney wrote that "Al Gore's Negro tolerance level has never been too high. I've never known him to have more than one black person around him at any given time." Gore's campaign pointed out that its manager, Donna Brazile, was black.^[16]

McKinney also chastised Gore for failing to support the U'wa people of Colombia trying to oppose petroleum drilling near them. In a press release issued on February 22, 2000, entitled "No More Blood For Oil" McKinney wrote that "Oil drilling on Uwa land will result in considerable environmental damage and social conflict which will lead to greater militarization of the region as well as an increase in violence." Addressing herself to Gore, she wrote "I am contacting you because you have remained silent on this issue despite your strong financial interests and family ties with Occidental."

September 11 attacks[link]

McKinney gained national attention for remarks she made following the 2001 US attacks, charging that the United States had advance knowledge of the attacks and that US President George W. Bush may have been aware of the incipient attack and allowed them to happen,^[17] allegedly due to his father's business interests: "It is known that President Bush's father, through the Carlyle Group, had–at the time of the attacks–joint business interests with the bin Laden construction company and many defense industry holdings, the stocks of which have soared since September 11."^[17] In the month that followed the attacks, when New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani refused to cash a $10 million check written by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in light of the Prince's suggestion that the attacks were an indication that the United States "should re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stand toward the Palestinian cause,"^[18] McKinney published an open letter to the Saudi Prince, in which she wrote of her disappointment at Giuliani's action and stated, "Let me say that there are a growing number of people in the United States who recognize, like you, that U.S. policy in the Middle East needs serious examination...Your Royal Highness, many of us here in the United States have long been concerned about reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that reveal a pattern of excessive, and often indiscriminate, use of lethal force by Israeli security forces in situations where Palestinian demonstrators were unarmed and posed no threat of death or serious injury to the security forces or to others."^[19]

2002 primary defeat[link]

In 2002, McKinney was defeated in the Democratic primary by DeKalb County judge Denise Majette.^[20] Majette defeated McKinney with 58% of the vote to McKinney's 42%.

McKinney protested the result in court, claiming that thousands of Republicans, knowing they had no realistic chance of defeating her in the November general election, had voted in the Democratic primary against McKinney in revenge for her anti-Bush administration views and her allegations of voter fraud in Florida in the 2000 presidential election. Like 20 other states, Georgia operates an open primary: voters do not align with a political party when they register to vote and may participate in whichever party's primary election they choose. Thus, relying on the Supreme Court's decision in California Democratic Party v. Jones, which had held that California's blanket primary violated the First Amendment (despite the fact that the Court explicitly differentiated — albeit in dicta — the blanket primary from the open primary in Jones), on McKinney's behalf, five voters claimed that the open primary system was unconstitutional, operating in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, the associational right protected by the First Amendment, and various statutory rights protected by § 2 of the Voting Rights Act.^[21]

The district court dismissed the case, noting that the plaintiffs had presented no evidence in support of the 14th Amendment and Voting Rights Act claims, and lacked standing to bring the First Amendment claim. It interpreted the Supreme Court's Jones ruling to hold that the right to association involved in a dispute over a primary — and thus, standing to sue — belongs to a political party, not an individual voter. On appeal in May 2004, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this result in Osburn v. Cox,^[22] noting that not only were the plaintiffs' claims meritless, but the remedy they requested would likely be unconstitutional under the Supreme Court's decision in Tashjian v. Republican Party of Connecticut. On October 18, 2004, the Supreme Court brought an end to the litigation, denying certiorari without comment.^[23][24]

Other factors in her defeat were her controversial statements regarding Bush's involvement in 9/11,^[25][26] her opposition to aid to Israel, a perceived support of Palestinian and Arab causes, and alleged antisemitism by her supporters.^{[27][28][29][30][31]} and on the night before the primary election, McKinney's father stated on Atlanta television that "Jews have bought everybody ... J-E-W-S."^[17] Cynthia McKinney had been through a long contentious relationship with AIPAC,^[32] and commentators such as Alexander Cockburn allege that money from out-of-state Jewish organizations, angered by her stand on Middle East issues, was key in her election defeat. Cockburn also wrote that "Buckets of sewage were poured over McKinney's head in the Washington Post and the Atlanta Constitution."^[33] According to the Anti Defamation League, McKinney's use of the New Black Panther Party as security, given that organization's use of antisemitic and racist invective, and her failure to distance herself from that group, are "troubling."^[34] Georgia political analyst Bill Shipp addressed McKinney's defeat saying "voters sent a message: 'We're tired of these over-the-top congressmen dealing in great international and national interests. How about somebody looking out for our interests?' " ^[35]

Between terms[link]

McKinney traveled widely as a public speaker between her terms in office. Throughout 2003 and 2004, McKinney toured the US and much of Europe speaking of her defeat, her opposition to the Iraq War, and the Bush administration. In a January 2004 issue of Jet magazine, McKinney said that the "white, rich Democratic boys club wanted [her] to stay in the back of the bus."

In 2004, McKinney served on the advisory committee for the group 2004 Racism Watch.^[36] On September 9, 2004, she was a commissioner in The Citizens' Commission on 9-11. On October 26, 2004, she was among 100 Americans and 40 family members of those who were killed on 9/11 who signed the 9/11 Truth Movement statement, calling for new investigations of what they perceived as unexplained aspects of the 9/11 events.^[6]

There was speculation that she was considering a run as the Green Party's nominee for the 2004 presidential election. However, wanting her congressional seat back, she turned down the Green Party nomination.

2004 return to Congress[link]

Majette declined to run for re-election to the House, opting instead to become a candidate to replace retiring Senator Zell Miller, a conservative Democrat. McKinney instantly became the favorite in the House Democratic primary. Since it was taken for granted that victory in the Democratic primary was tantamount to election in November, McKinney's opponents focused on clearing the field for a single candidate who could force her into a runoff election^{[citation needed]}.

However, her opponents' efforts were unsuccessful, and five candidates entered the Democratic primary. As a result of the fragmented primary opposition, McKinney won just enough votes to avoid a runoff. This all but assured her return to Congress after a two-year absence. However, contrary to traditional practice, the Democrats did not restore McKinney's seniority. Had she been able to regain her seniority, she would have been a senior Democrat on the International Relations and Armed Services committees, as well as ranking Democrat on an International Relations subcommittee.^[37]

McKinney hosted the first delegation of Afro-Latinos from Central and South America and worked with the World Bank and the U.S. State Department to recognize Afro-Latinos. She stood with Aboriginals against Australian mining companies. She was one of the 31 in the House who objected to the official allotment of the electoral votes from Ohio in the United States presidential election, 2004 to incumbent George W. Bush.^[38]

9/11 Commission[link]

Initially, McKinney kept a low profile upon her return to Congress. However, on July 22, 2005, the first anniversary of the release of the 9/11 Commission Report, McKinney held a briefing on Capitol Hill to address alleged outstanding issues regarding the 2001 attacks on the US.^{[dead link]} The day-long briefing featured family members of victims, scholars, former intelligence officers and others who critiqued the 9/11 Commission account of 9/11 and its recommendations. The four morning panels addressed flaws, omissions, and a lack of historical and political analysis in the commission's report. Three afternoon panels critiqued the commission's recommendations in the areas of foreign and domestic policy and intelligence reform. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution^[39] editorial maintained that the purpose of the event was to discuss whether or not the Bush administration was involved in the 9/11 attacks, expressing surprise that McKinney was once again taking on the issue that was widely believed to have cost her her House seat. The Journal-Constitution declined to publish McKinney's reply.^[40] The 9/11 Commission has sealed all the notes and transcripts of some 2,000 interviews, all the forensic evidence, and both classified and non-classified documents used in compiling its final report until January 2, 2009. McKinney's interest in 9/11 relates specifically to what she expresses as her opposition to excessive government secrecy,^[41] which she has challenged with numerous pieces of legislation.

McKinney has said that she "remain[s] hopeful that we will learn the truth" about 9/11 "because more and more people around the world are demanding it."^[42]

Hurricane Katrina activism[link]

McKinney has been an advocate for victims of Hurricane Katrina and a critic of the government's response. Over 100,000 evacuees from New Orleans and Mississippi relocated to the Atlanta area, and many have now settled there.

During the Katrina crisis, evacuees were turned away by Arthur Lawson's Gretna police when they attempted to cross the Crescent City Connection Bridge between New Orleans and Gretna, Louisiana.^[43][44] McKinney was the only member of Congress to participate in a march across the Crescent City Connection Bridge on November 7, 2005, to protest what had happened on that bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.^[45]

In response, McKinney introduced a bill^[46] on November 2, 2005, that would temporarily deny federal assistance to the City of Gretna Police Department, Harry Lee's Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, and the Crescent City Connection Police Department, in the state of Louisiana. The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, but was not acted on. However, in August 2006, a grand jury began an investigation of the incident.^[47][48] On October 31, 2007 the Grand Jury ruled not to charge anyone. The Grand Jury accepted Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson's explanation, "Some of the people in the crowd acted aggressively and threatened to throw one of the officers off the bridge, the chief said. The shot was fired over the officer's shoulder and over the side of the bridge.^[49]

McKinney chose to be an active participant in the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, despite the Democratic Party leadership's call for Democratic members to boycott the committee. She submitted her own 72-page report.^[50] She sat as a guest along with only a few other Democrats. In questioning Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, McKinney referred to a news story in which the owners of a nursing home had been charged with negligent homicide for abandoning 34 clients who died in the flood waters. McKinney asked Chertoff: "Mr. Secretary, if the nursing home owners are arrested for negligent homicide, why shouldn't you also be arrested for negligent homicide?"^[51]

The Congressional Black Caucus' Omnibus Bill (HR 4197) was introduced on November 2, 2005, to provide a comprehensive response to the Gulf Coast residents affected by Hurricane Katrina. The second title of the bill was submitted by McKinney, seeking a Comprehensive Environmental Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan, or CESTAP, to minimize harm to Gulf Coast residents from the toxic releases into the environment caused by the hurricane.^[52]

At the request of McKinney, the^[53] Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, chaired by Thomas M. Davis, held a previously unscheduled hearing titled "Voices Inside the Storm" on December 6, 2005.

McKinney, along with Rep. Barbara Lee (CA), produced a^[54] "Katrina Legislative Summary," a chart summarizing House and Senate bills on Hurricane Katrina. On June 13, 2006, McKinney pointed out on the House floor that only a dozen of the 176 Katrina bills identified on the chart had passed into law, leaving 163 bills stalled in committee.

On August 2, 2007, McKinney participated in a press conference in New Orleans to launch an International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which she described as an effort to seek justice for the victims of those hurricanes and their aftermath.

Department of Defense homicide accusation[link]

On September 28, 2008, at a press conference, McKinney announced that she had spoken with a constituent whose son was a National Guardsman. The constituent claimed her son had disposed of 5,000 bodies for the Department of Defense during the week of Hurricane Katrina. She further believed that there were credible reports that the bodies were prisoners who had all been crushed by tanks, shot in the head, painted blue, and dumped in a Louisiana swamp. McKinney said that the story had been corroborated by anonymous "insider" sources.^[55][56]

Anti-war and human rights legislation[link]

Until 2000, McKinney served on the House International Relations Committee, where she was the highest-ranking Democrat on the Human Rights Subcommittee. McKinney worked on legislation to stop conventional weapons transfers to governments that are undemocratic or fail to respect human rights.

On November 18, 2005, McKinney was one of only three House members to vote for H.R. 571, introduced by House Armed Services Committee chairman Duncan Hunter, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, on which McKinney sat. Hunter, a Republican, offered this resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces in Iraq in place of John Murtha's H.J.Res. 73, which called for redeployment "at the earliest possible date." In her prepared statement, McKinney accused the Republicans of "trying to set a trap for the Democrats. A 'no' vote for this Resolution will obscure the fact that there is strong support for withdrawal of US forces from Iraq ... In voting for this bill, let me be perfectly clear that I am not saying the United States should exit Iraq without a plan. I agree with Mr. Murtha that security and stability in Iraq should be pursued through diplomacy. I simply want to vote 'yes' to an orderly withdrawal from Iraq."^[57]

Articles of impeachment introduced[link]

At the end of the 2006 legislative session, McKinney introduced articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush as (H Res 1106), which made three charges against Bush:^[58]

• Failure to uphold the constitution, specifically that "George Walker Bush … in preparing the invasion of Iraq, did withhold intelligence from the Congress, by refusing to provide Congress with the full intelligence picture that he was being given, by redacting information … and actively manipulating the intelligence on Iraq’s alleged weapons programs by pressuring the Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies.

• Abuse of office and executive privilege, "obstructing and hindering the work of Congressional investigative bodies and by seeking to expand the scope of the powers of his office."

• Failure to ensure that laws are faithfully executed, specifically by a program of illegal domestic spying and circumvention of the FISA Act.

The second article also made charges against Vice President Dick Cheney alleging he manipulated intelligence in order to justify the Iraq War, and against Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice alleging that she knowingly made false statements concerning Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.^[58]

McKinney's bill was abandoned when it failed to clear the House Committee on the Judiciary^[59]

Capitol Police incident[link]

On the morning of March 29, 2006, McKinney entered the Longworth House Office Building's southeast entrance and proceeded past the security checkpoint, walking around the metal detector. Members of Congress have identifying lapel pins and are not required to pass through metal detectors. The officers present failed to recognize McKinney as a member of Congress because she was not wearing the appropriate lapel pin and had recently changed her hairstyle. She proceeded westward down the ground floor hallway and about halfway down the hallway was stopped by United States Capitol Police officer Paul McKenna, who states that he had been calling after her: "Ma'am, Ma'am!"; at that time it is reported that McKinney struck the officer. Two days later, Officer McKenna filed a police report claiming that McKinney had struck "his chest with a closed fist."

In the midst of a media frenzy, McKinney made an apology^[60] on the floor of the House of Representatives on April 6, 2006, neither admitting to nor denying the charge, stating only that: "There should not have been any physical contact in this incident." Minutes before the Congresswoman's apology, McKinney's security officer pushed a TV correspondent outside of the U.S. Capitol.^[61]

Though not indicted for criminal charges or subjected to disciplinary action by the House, the president of the Fraternal Order of Police said of Officer McKenna, “We're going to make sure the officer won't be harassed. We want the officer to be able talk to experts, who can look at his legal recourses, if he needed to."^[62]

Unintentional on-air criticism[link]

In the wake of the March 2006 incident with the Capitol Police officer, Rep. McKinney was in the news, and her office invited the media to attend one of her monthly "District Days," where she spends one full day meeting with constituents to discuss issues of concern. At her April 23, 2006, "District Days" event, Rep. McKinney was being interviewed by WGCL's Renee Starzyk, who repeatedly questioned her about the March 29 scuffle with a Capitol police officer. Frustrated, McKinney stood up and apparently forgot she was still wearing the microphone. Her offscreen comments were captured on tape. She was heard saying, "Oh, crap, now you know what ... they lied to [aide Coz Carson], and Coz is a fool."^[63] McKinney returned on screen with the microphone, this time with instructions on what parts of the interview CBS 46 was allowed to use, "anything that is captured by your audio... that is captured while I'm not seated in this chair is off the record and is not permissible [sic] to be used... is that understood?"^[64] The comments from the interview were subsequently aired on CBS and eventually across the nation.

Other issues[link]

MLK Records Act[link]

McKinney has submitted to Congress two different versions of the same bill, the "MLK Records Act" (one in 2003, the other in 2005), which, if signed into law, would release all currently sealed files concerning the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.^[65] These records were sealed in 1978 and are not due to be declassified until the year 2028. The 2005 version of the MLK Records Act, HR 2554 had 67 cosponsors by the time McKinney left office at the end of 2006. A Senate version of the bill (S2499) was introduced by Senator John Kerry and was co-signed by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. The bill has also received numerous endorsements from former members of the House Select Committee on Assassinations.

Tupac Shakur Records Act[link]

Documents relating to the death of rapper Tupac Shakur, in which McKinney has taken an active interest, would be released under another bill introduced by Rep. McKinney. In a statement, McKinney explained her reason for the bill: "The public has the right to know because he was a well-known figure. There is intense public interest in the life and death of Tupac Shakur."^[66] Legislation demanding release of records is a more direct route than the tedious process and limited scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

2006 primary and primary runoff[link]

McKinney finished first in the July 18, 2006 Democratic primary, edging DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson 47.1% to 44.4%, with a third candidate receiving 8.5%.^[67] However, since McKinney failed to get at least 50% of the vote, she and Johnson were forced into a runoff.

In the runoff of August 8, 2006, although there were about 8,000 more voters than in the primary, McKinney received about the same number of votes as in July. Johnson won with 41,178 votes (59%) to McKinney's 28,832 (41%).^[68] McKinney's loss is attributed to a mid-decade redistricting, in which the 4th had absorbed portions of Gwinnett and Rockdale Counties, as well as her highly publicized controversial run-in with a police officer in the March 29, 2006, Capitol Hill police incident.

CNN reported that during her concession speech, McKinney hardly mentioned her opponent but praised the leftist political leaders elected in South America. She also questioned the efficacy of voting machines and criticized the media.^[69]

2008 Green Party presidential candidacy[link]

Wikinews has related news: Wikinews interviews U.S. Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney

Cynthia McKinney before speaking at the Green Party Presidential Debate in San Francisco, January 2008.

McKinney was a Green Party candidate in the 2008 presidential election.^[10] Green Party members had attempted to recruit McKinney both in 2000 and 2004. In 2000, she was widely mentioned as a possible vice-presidential running mate for Ralph Nader; in 2004, attempts were made to convince McKinney to run on the Green Party ballot line for president.

McKinney appeared at the July 15, 2008, Green Party National Meeting in Reading, Pennsylvania, where she suggested that the Green Party could become a progressive political force. "[T]he disgust of the American people with what they see before them — all they need is the blueprint and a road map. Why not have the Green Party provide the blueprint and the road map?"

At an August 27, 2008, peace rally in Kennebunkport, Maine, McKinney confirmed the depth of her disenchantment with the Democratic Party, urging San Francisco voters to replace Nancy Pelosi with antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan. On September 10, in a letter to the Steering Committee of the Green Party of the United States, McKinney stated she would not seek the Green Party nomination for president.^[70] However, in early October it appeared that McKinney was making moves toward declaring herself an official Green Party candidate.^[71]

On July 9, 2008, she named as her running mate journalist and community activist Rosa Clemente^[72] and clinched the party's nomination three days later at the 2008 Green Party National Convention.^[73]

On September 10, 2008, McKinney joined a press conference held by third-party and independent candidates, along with Ralph Nader, Chuck Baldwin, and initiator Ron Paul.^[74] The participants agreed on four basic principles:

• An early end to the Iraq war, and an end to threats of war against other countries including Iran and Russia.

• The safeguarding of privacy and civil liberties, including a call for the repeal of the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and FISA legislation

• No increase in the National Debt

• A "thorough investigation, evaluation and audit of the Federal Reserve System."

On November 4, 2008 McKinney received 161,603 votes, 0.12% of the total votes cast, placing her behind Obama, McCain, Nader, Barr, and Baldwin.^[75]

Free Gaza Movement[link]

[edit] Ship Dignity

On December 30, 2008, McKinney was aboard the ship Dignity as it attempted to enter the Gaza Strip, which had its coastal area declared a "closed military zone" by Israel, while on a humanitarian mission by the Free Gaza Movement from Cyprus. Aboard were physicians, medical supplies, and activists, including Caoimhe Butterly. The Israeli Navy confronted the ship at night in international waters. Members of the crew claimed that the ship was rammed, gunfire was directed at the water, and the ship was forced to dock in Lebanon after taking on water.^[76][77] Israeli officials claimed that the collision was accidental and occurred after the ship was informed they wouldn't be allowed to enter Gaza and tried to outmaneuver the patrol boat; they decried McKinney's actions as being irresponsible and provocative for the sake of propaganda.^[77][78]

[edit] Ship Spirit of Humanity

On June 30, 2009, McKinney was aboard the Greek-flagged Free Gaza Movement's ship Spirit of Humanity carrying 21 activists including Irish peace activist Mairead McGuire, medical supplies, a symbolic bag of cement, olive trees and toys, when it was seized by the Israeli Navy 18 mi (29 km) off the Gaza coast. It is unclear whether they were in international waters or in Gazan waters, which is subject to the Israeli blockade of Gaza.^[79][80] Although both the Cypriot and Israeli authorities were officially informed the destination was Gaza before the vessel's departure, according to the Cypriot government the ship "was given permission by the competent Authorities of the Republic of Cyprus to sail off the port of Larnaca in Cyprus on the basis of its declaration that its intended destination was the port of Port Said in Egypt."^[80]

McKinney was held at the Givon immigration detention center in Ramle, until she was released on July 5.^[81] The Israeli government would have released McKinney and her fellow activists immediately had they signed deportation papers; however, McKinney at least initially refused to sign, arguing that she could not be sure of what the papers, written in Hebrew, said, and that the papers would require them to admit that they were in violation of Israel's blockade, which they deny.^{[82][83][84][85][86]} According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Israeli officials stated that the "Palestinian Authority and the rest of the international community had agreed to the off-shore blockade to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza."^[84] The Palestinian Chronicle reports that such an agreement to the off-shore blockade never happened. "No Palestinians have agreed nor did the international community agree to a blockade of Gaza by land or Sea."^[87] On June 17, 2009, a group of United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called for an end to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.^[88]

On July 7, 2009, McKinney was deported to the United States.^[89] The Israeli government indicated it will deliver the supplies via land.^[84]

Opposition to the 2011 military intervention in Libya[link]

On May 24, 2011, McKinney appeared on state-run television in Libya and stated that United States participation in military intervention in the 2011 Libyan civil war was "...not what the people of the United States stand for and it's not what African-Americans stand for".^[90] Also on Memri-TV, Cynthia McKinney stated “On a previous visit to Libya, I was able to learn about the Green Book, and the form of direct democracy that is advocated in The Green Book. When I went back to the United States, I spoke with Senator Mike Gravel, who was a presidential candidate, just like me, in 2008, because he too is pushing a form of direct democracy for the United States. That is because the government of the United States fails to represent the interests of the American people now. The government is here, and the people of the US are here.” ^[91]

In June 2011, McKinney visited Libya^[92] and accused NATO and the United States of trying to assassinate Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. McKinney also criticised the trade embargo on the Gaddafi's regime and accused mainstream media in the Western world of subjecting the population of the European Union and the United States "to the largest propaganda blitz by their governments."^[93]

Her nationwide speaking tour regarding the intervention in Libya "Eyewitness Libya", which was sponsored by the ANSWER coalition and the International Action Center drew hundreds across the country.^[94][95]

The 2012 People’s Power Tour[link]

The People’s Power tour was launched in New York on March 11. The tour seeks to bring working, poor and oppressed people into a nationwide discussion to help develop a unifying fightback program of action. Its platform points to the life-and-death social issues that are intensified by the current global capitalist economic crisis, such as “unemployment, low wages, foreclosures, police and ICE terror, racist incarcerations, hunger and homelessness.” The tour is being done with the help of Workers World Party activists. ^[96]

Awards and honors[link]

In February 2010, Cynthia McKinney was awarded the 'Peace through Conscience' award from the Munich American Peace Committee (MAPC).^[97]

McKinney has been featured in a full-length documentary titled American Blackout. On April 14, 2006, she received the key to the city of Sarasota, Florida, and was doubly honored when the city named April 8 as "Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney Day" in Sarasota^{[citation needed]}. On May 1, 2004, during her hiatus from office, McKinney was awarded the so-called fifth annual Backbone Award by an advocacy group, "because she was willing to challenge the Bush administration and called for an investigation into 9-11 when few others dared to air their criticism and questions."^[98]

On June 14, 2000, a part of Memorial Drive, a major thoroughfare running through her district, was renamed "Cynthia McKinney Parkway," but the naming has come under scrutiny since her primary defeat in 2006.^[99] Her father had previously been honored when a portion of Interstate 285 around Atlanta was dedicated as James E. "Billy" McKinney Highway.^[100]

Electoral history[link]

References[link]