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'Take John Bolton to The Hague!': Peace Activists Protest Outside National Security Advisor's Home

Peace activists with CODEPINK protested outside the home of National Security Adviser John Bolton on Tuesday. (Photo: Medea Benjamin/Twitter)

'Take John Bolton to The Hague!': Peace Activists Protest Outside National Security Advisor's Home

Critics also condemned Trump's national security advisor for vetoing U.N. resolutions on Israel and pushing for the U.S. to ditch Iran nuclear deal

Peace activists with the group CODEPINK arrived at the home of National Security Advisor John Bolton early Tuesday morning to deliver a symbolic indictment for his participation in war crimes against the people of Venezuela, Palestine, Iran, and Iraq.

A notorious neoconservative, Bolton held various positions under former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush--including ambassador to the United Nations--before being tapped by President Donald Trump.

As one of Trump's top advisers on foreign policy issues, he has played a key role in the current administration's decisions, from ditching the Iran nuclear deal last summer to pushing for regime change in Venezuela, an effort which is ongoing.

With police on the scene, the group chanted, "Take John Bolton to The Hague!" and "John Bolton is a war criminal."

CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin outlined in a series of tweets the main reasons the group wants Bolton tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Among them were Bolton's role in the launch of the so-called War on Terror and his blatant attempts to sabotage global cooperation, including his attacks on the ICC.

One of the participants in the Tuesday action outside Bolton's Bethesda, Maryland home was filmed reading a portion of "The People's Indictment of John Bolton," which details his support for overthrowing Venezuela's elected President Nicolas Maduro by "aiding and abetting" self-declared "Interim President" Juan Guaido and pressuring the nation's military "to break alliance with its government and carry out a coup."

Noting that Bolton backs "the apartheid policies of the far-right extremist government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toward the occupied Palestinians," the indictment also highlights his key actions on Israel, from vetoing U.N. resolutions targeting Israel while he served as ambassador, to praising Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"In the end, 14 police officers, along with Bolton's government security detail, kept the 8 CODEPINK protesters from confronting Bolton directly," according to a statement from the group. "A neighbor, who was encouraged by the police to demand we leave his property, instead agreed to let us stay, saying that he, too, didn't like John Bolton."

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