Cynthia McKinney receives international peace award

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Cynthia McKinney receives international peace award
from the office of the Green Party of the United States

Cynthia McKinney, 2008 Green Party candidate for President, was given the ìPeace through Conscienceî award by the Munich American Peace Committee (MAPC). She received the award while participating in the Eighth Munich International Peace Conference in Munich, Germany, February 6-7, 2010.

The conference coincided with the Munich Security Conference, which addressed NATO strategy towards Afghanistan, including President Obama’s planned troop escalation. A long-time proponent of abolishing NATO, McKinney first spoke at a rally in protest of the NATO conference, and then made presentations on U.S. policy at the MAPC peace conference, where she was given the award. Presenting her with the award was the previous yearís winner, Andre Shepherd, a U.S. army specialist who applied for asylum in Germany after objecting to the wars in Iraq.

“Clearly, the MAPC gave more thought to the significance of those who struggle for peace than did the Nobel Peace Committee that rewarded our President for war.”? Cynthia McKinney

“I am humbled to be so recognized,” said McKinney. “Clearly, the MAPC gave more thought to the significance of those who struggle for peace, basing it on principle and an unshakeable commitment despite the personal sacrifices required, than did the Nobel Peace Committee that rewarded our President for war.”? Commenting on the decision to grant President Obama the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, McKinney said, “In this way of thinking, peace is now war, lies are now truth, and ignorance is strength.”

McKinney urged Americans across Germany to gather in Munich and protest U.S. and NATO war policies, noting Germany has sent its own troops to Afghanistan. She also met with American expatriates while in Munich.

“We are very proud of Cynthia McKinney’s work for peace and human rights in the U.S. and internationally,” said Dr. Justine McCabe, co-chair of the Green Party’s International Committee. “Ms. McKinney has led the demand for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and strongly criticized President Obama’s announcement of a troop surge in Afghanistan. She has challenged NATO’s global expansion of military operations and demanded its abolition. Last June, after President Obama urged humanitarian aid for people in Gaza, Ms. McKinney and other Free Gaza activists tried to deliver medical and construction supplies and other relief. They were illegally intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters and jailed, while the White House remained silent. Unlike our president, Cynthia McKinney deserves a peace prize.”

At the International Peace Conference, McKinney discussed chances for a nonviolent U.S. foreign policy, the need to end the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. policies regarding Colombia and its neighbors, and efforts toward a nuclear-free world. She posed the question “What should governments and the politicians at the Security Conference do to promote peace and justice?”

A full transcript of the speech can be read at the Daily Paul.