Posted on 09/14/2005 3:46:43 PM PDT by Do not dub me shapka broham
I wish that I could have composed a slightly more coherent summary of the actual events that took place, but due to the fact that I was only present to watch a few speeches-including the wonderfully lyrical jeremiad delivered by an extremely eloquent Rabbi Zucker, the capstone of which was a boldly defiant call on the shofar-I can't give you an accurate synopsis of the day's events, other than to recount the general atmosphere of the day and how it reflected the assets-and deficiencies-of the pro-freedom movement on the domestic front.
The fact that this was a high ozone day didn't exactly help matters.
I can't even begin to describe the migraine I'm experiencing at the moment.
In any case, your thoughts are welcome.
-good times, G.J.P. (Jr.)
Wish I could have made it.
You had a the WPI table-complete with flaming red banner sprorting a portrait of Karl Marx-standing across from the Rajavi swarm, while a group of guys who looked like they just stepped out of central casting-one of them wearing an Arkansas Razorbacks t-shirt-eagerly awaited a speech delivered by an impassioned Bapist minister who had come to New York City all the way from Georgia.
There were the Pahlavi supporters-who I believe were bussed in from either California or Texas, or both-marching and shouting down 2nd Avenue in their casual wear, bearing photos of the late Shah's son, mingling with banners that were imprinted with the unforgettable image of Mr. Batebi-an enduring symbol of student resistance.
There was a girl with-of course-the typical Che lithograph.
(Eye roll.)
There were even a few women wearing hejabs, which is something that I hadn't initially anticipated.
There was even one man-in cutoff jeans and a belly shirt-holding up a sign that highlighted Iran's ruthless persecution of homosexuals and lesbians.
Wow, that would have been a sight!
At least it shows the different political views in Iran...I just wish it had a majority of Conservative Palahvi supporters or something.
But the Che shirts...who did they think the Shah was trying to get rid of in the first place??
You always have to account for youthful naivete.
:0)
In defense of the Pahlavis, the group I ran into as I was leaving the rally said that they would be coming later on.
I honestly think that most of their support-and people who live on the west coast can correct me if this is inaccurate-comes from Socal and/or Texas.
ping
You were there in 2003, right?
Thanks for the report! How many Anti-regime protesters do you estimate were there?
I had heard that Pahlavi supporters were coming down from Toronto. There was also a group from Tx, though I don't know if they were specifically Pahlavi supporters. There were also some Calif, I guess. The Calif. Iranian TV stations advertised the demonstration.
The reason you had so many people seemingly in the MEK camp, was that they did the first internet ads and sign-up lists, and I think they did an ad in a NY paper. They got organized early, but never told anyone who they were.
That's their MO. They hide their identity, get a big crowd, and then report that the crowd is all supporters of there's. They have also in the past reported thousands attending a gathering, when there were hundreds.(and not all the people were supporters)
SO, no surprise, the media didn't think it worthy to report anything. As I suggested to someone else today, a few people should have carried anti-war posters, and maybe they would have gotten some coverage.
There was also a group (The International Fund) which paid people to show up advertising their website.
I still have no clue what their precise relationship to the rally was.
Then you had the Falun Gong supporters-and Mandarin-language media-that eventually migrated over to the anti-regime rally.
It got a bit confusing after an hour or so, which is when I made my exit, fortuitously running into some chanting Pahlavi supporters as they were marching toward 2nd Ave and I was heading toward the D train.
One more question: What time were you there?
I spent about an hour or two there, before leaving.
There were still people coming-a small group that was bused in, and as I mentioned, Pahlavi supporters-who I encountered on my way out.
Thanks for all the details
I do wish that there had been another FReeper or Protest Warrior in attendance with a digital camera handy.
There was an informational table set up by the PWI, which had a huge red banner with portraits of Marx and Engels as its backdrop.
I wish I had gotten a picture of that!
I seem to have inverted the word order of the Worker's Party of Iran.
Worker-Communist, according to this indecipherable-at least, from my standpoint-Farsi-language pamphlet.
They have a photoshopped graphic of President Bush as the pope, taken from freakingnews.com apparently.
I don't know what that's about.
Sounds lovely! You wanted pics for Halloween cards or what?
"President Bush as the pope" lol
All those religious people are the same.
yup!
Though I'm not sure whether it would be construed as scary-or just plain odd-in the context of a Halloween card.
:))
This is the kind of propaganda(crap) that MEK puts out there.....
"20,000 Iranians rally outside UN...."
http://www.ncr-iran.org/content/view/373/1/
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