As we previously reported, New York Times columnist and author Thomas Friedman was officially “pied” last week, while giving an Earth Day Lecture at Brown University. Friedman was ambushed just as he began his talk, entitled “Green is the new Red, White & Blue.” The group that claimed responsibility call themselves “The Greenwash Guerillas.” In a statement issued today, they said they targeted Friedman…

“Because of his support for U.S. military intervention in the Middle East, neo-liberal economic policies that harm the world’s poor, and especially for promoting bogus solutions to the global climate crisis.“

“We sought to expose the hypocrisy of allowing Friedman, who is known for his influential support of U.S. wars for oil in the Middle East, to call himself an environmentalist,” said Margaret Little, the Brown University student responsible for the creamy projectiles.

In the statement, the Greenwash Guerillas object to Friedman’s support for nuclear power, coal power, industrial biofuels, and carbon trading markets. “These false solutions are smokescreens, intended to generate massive corporate profits while creating global humanitarian and environmental disasters.”

Video of the pie throwing incident was posted on YouTube along with a couple of environmental blogs (including this one). The video had received close to 70,000 views in 36 hours on YouTube, before it was removed without warning or comment by YouTube. The Greenwash Guerillas have now reposted the clip at their blog.

Ms. Little was suspicious of the disappearing video on YouTube, as she indicated in the statement:

“Given the many other pieings on YouTube, the removal of the video can only be understood as an act of political censorship. One has to wonder whether billionaire Friedman has more influence than “you” on YouTube.”

The statement indicates that Little faces University disciplinary hearings, which could potentially lead to expulsion. Colonel Custard, Little’s male accomplice is still “at-large” (although he is listed as the media contact and was probably responsible for emailing us the statement – so he’s probably not that hard to find).

See also:

“Opposition for Opposition’s Sake?” :: Red, Green, and Blue (4/2008)

“The Geo-Green Alternative” :: Sustainablog (1/2005)

Photo: .Larry Page