Reject Honoring Henry Kissinger by New-York Historical Society
On Monday, November 7, we will gather outside the Waldorf Astoria Hotel to express their outrage at the honoring or former Secretary of State Henry Kissingerby the New-York Historical Society (N-YHS). Demonstrators will gather from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 301 Park Ave. (between 49 & 50 St.) in Manhattan to condemn the honoring of the accused war criminal by the society at a $1000 a ticket gala.
"It is incredible how this war criminal keeps avoiding accountability for his crimes," said Stephanie Rugoff of War Criminals Watch, a sponsor of the upcoming protest. "Instead of feting him with honors, Kissinger should prosecuted for his crimes."
"Kissinger's policies were from the 1% for the 1%, and the 99% suffered the consequences," said John M. Miller, National Coordinator of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN). "The survivors of those policies can not forget and neither should we."
Historians criticized the politicization of the society: "With this honor, the society throws away 200 years of distinction, sacrificing its standing, subverting and junking a major historical institution by politicizing it. While N-YHS has a right to its politics, there's no doubt that in bestowing this honor on Kissinger those politics are vile. The trustees of this once-great Society should resign. We need a new New York Historical Society," wrote Jesse Lemisch, Professor of History Emeritus, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York and Staughton Lynd, Independent Historian said in a statement.
"We will be at the gala to remind people about Henry Kissinger's sordid and criminal history concerning East Timor, Vietnam, Cambodia, Chile, South Africa, Cyprus, Bangladesh, Angola, West Papua, and elsewhere. Kissinger is responsible for millions of deaths, millions maimed, and millions made homeless," said Tom Keough from Brooklyn for Peace, Anti Militarism Committee.
Among the organizers of the upcoming demonstration are ETAN, War Resisters League NYC, Brooklyn for Peace, War Criminals Watch, Code Pink, Campaign for Peace and Democracy, World Can't Wait, and Veterans for Peace-NYC Chapter 34.
For background on Kissinger's crimes see here
Contact etan@etan.org for more info
