UPDATE: Rep. McGovern Arrested with George Clooney, Others During Protest

UPDATE, 1 p.m.: Press Secretary Michael Mershon told Patch that "He's at the 2nd District station in D.C. He will pay a small fine out of his own pocket and then be released," referring to McGovern. 

Worcester Magazine said that McGovern has been arrested twice before this incident on similar charges.

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U.S. Rep. James McGovern's (D-Worcester) official Twitter feed reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. Friday that he had been arrested along with actor George Clooney during a protest in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington D.C. 

McGovern was there protesting what Clooney told Congress on Wednesday was a "campaign of murder" perpetrated by the Sudanese government. 

"Rep. McGovern, George and Nick Clooney have been arrested following a civil disobedience protest in front of the Sudanese embassy," tweeted staff members.

Marlborough Patch left a message with McGovern's press secretary Michael Mershon late Friday morning, but had not received an official comment as of this post.  

Nick Clooney is the father of the actor, and a career journalist. U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, was also arrested during the protest.

"What you see is a constant drip of fear," Clooney said, a day after returning from a trip in which he and a small team of fellow activists managed to enter one of the most devastated areas, the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan, according to CNN.

Speaking before the large crowd that gathered to watch the protest Clooney called for immediate action.

"We need immediate humanitarian aid into Sudan before it becomes the worst humanitarian crisis in the world," said the actor, according to an MSNBC report. 

Patch will update this story as more information becomes available. 

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