Protesters to Broadcast Stoning on Side of Bev Hills Hotel

The protest against the Beverly Hills Hotel, owned by the Sultan of Brunei, who supports the stoning of gay people in his nation, takes a dramatic turn on Thursday.



Dressed in black hoods, protesters will create a human screen in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel and broadcast a video of a real stoning to L.A. commuters and joggers along Sunset Boulevard. "Thursday’s demonstration is designed to refocus attention on the grave reality of the law," reads a press release from the labor union organizing the protest (the group takes umbrage both with the sultan's antigay and antiwoman policies, but his labor laws as well). "Stoning is an extremely violent, gruesome form of the death penalty. You are buried standing up, with just your head and neck above the ground. Then people throw stones at you until you’re dead."



Protesters say Thursday night's action is "part protest, part performance art"; it begins at 8 p.m. PT. The Sultan of Brunei owns 10 luxury hotels in cities like Los Angeles, London, and Paris.