Thousands have signed a petition urging Bernie Sanders to refuse an invitation from AIPAC to speak at its upcoming policy conference in Washington, DC.
The right-wing American Israel Public Affairs Committee invited all the presidential candidates to speak at the conference which is due to start on March 20th. Hillary Clinton was the first to confirm and Donald Trump followed closely behind her.
Roger Waters, the Pink Floyd co-founder and bassist is among the 4,000 who have signed petition.
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On Friday, Roger urged the US Democratic presidential candidate not to speak at the upcoming event by signing the petition that states the organization protects the racist and “anti-democratic policies” of Israel.
The Jerusalem Post reports:
Created by pro-Palestinian journalist Max Blumenthal, son of former Hillary Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal, the petition has already garnered over 1,200 signatures since it was posted to the website change.org Thursday.
Less than 24 hours later, Waters added his name to the petition which claims the lobbying group defends “racism” and promotes “Islamophobes, anti-immigrant activists, and religious extremists.”
“AIPAC has invited Bernie Sanders to participate in its 2016 Policy Conference in Washington DC.,” the petition begins. “Voice your support for justice and equality in Israel-Palestine and urge Bernie to reject this invitation. As the main arm of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States, AIPAC has sworn to promote the racist, militaristic, and anti-democratic policies of the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.”
The petition continues, adding: “Its conference this year will feature Islamophobes, anti-immigrant activists, and religious extremists. With his promise to seek a “level playing field” on Israel-Palestine, Bernie does not belong on the same stage as these figures. Urge him to reject AIPAC’s invitation and support justice in the Holy Land.”
AIPAC invited the Vermont Senator earlier this week to speak at their annual conference, along with all the other active presidential contenders from both parties. Sanders has yet to confirm if he will indeed speak at the forum.
Waters first endorsed Sanders for president in October 2015 while speaking with Rolling Stone magazine, saying he was the only candidate “that I see with any credibility.”
“He seems to speak the truth, far as one can tell at this point,” Waters said.
“He seems prepared to stand up against big money and the banks and stand up for the predicaments of minorities, the middle class and the working class in this country,” he added.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump are also slated to speak at the AIPAC event between March 20 and March 22.
