Groups Protest Ahmadinejad

Organized protests against the appearance of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the U.N. began even before he arrived in New York City.

A group of about 40 elected officials and civic leaders gathered Sunday outside Columbia University, where Ahmadinejad is scheduled to speak on Monday.

Some carried placards with slogans such as "Don't give a platform to hate," and "Go to hell," while denouncing Ahmadinejad as a "Hitler wannabe" and a Holocaust denier.

Said New York state Assemblyman Dov Hikind: "There is no excuse to invite this madman, this little Hitler. "This is immoral. This is outrageous. This is sick. Do we have to invite him into our community? ... There is absolutely no justification."

Added city Councilman David Weprin: "This invitation is a slap in the face to all New Yorkers and especially to those families who lost loved ones on Sept. 11 right here in New York City."

New Vent: Protesting Ahmadinejad at Columbiahttp://hotair.com/archives/2007/09/25/new-vent-protesting-ahmadenijad-at-columbia/

Video: Al Qaeda’s child jihadi
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/09/25/video-al-qaedas-child-jihadi/

Anti-Ahmadinejad protesters removed from Ground Zero? Flashback: U.S. denied Arafat UN visa in 1988
There simply must be more to this story than PJM knows. The Port Authority couldn’t actually be clearing a path for him. Could they?
UPDATE: Andrew Marcus - on video assignment for PJM - reports that the Port Authority evicted protesters from Ground Zero this morning. Group - including family members of 9/11 victims - was in front of the PATH station protesting possible appearance at Ground Zero by Ahmadinejad.
There was supposed to be a mass protest at 10 a.m. but I can’t find hide nor hair of it on the wires. It may have been scotched after Ahmadinejad hinted he wouldn’t push his request to visit the site, which itself may have been a way to defuse efforts to block him so that he could sneak down there today without meeting resistance. Nowhere will you find a more pithy expression of the impotence and tone-deafness of the administration on this than Condi Rice — who, as head of the State Department, could have denied him a visa — acknowledging this morning on CNBC that an Ahmadinejad visit to Ground Zero would be a “travesty” even while plans may still be afoot for him to visit.
Update: Like I say, Condi very well could have denied him a visa if she had wanted. State Department bulletin, November 26, 1988
Not good enough? How about the fact that a federal district judge slapped Iran with a $2.65 billion judgment three weeks ago stemming from the 1983 Marine barracks bombing? The president at the time was the current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. If they want a visa, let them pay.

Update: Kevin McCullough e-mails to say he was there and Pajamas got it right.
My listeners (about 160) in total were hustled away from the primary elevator shaft on the north side of the PATH train stop (the primary spot at Ground Zero on street level.)
The woman who was given the most grief was Desiree (Jones?) from Brooklyn a long time listener/reader AND a 911 family member. She had tasteful signs that were rested neatly along the outer fencing of the area where we were and was giving a talk to those in attendance about the dangers Ahamdinejad presented to the free world.
Her sobering question - she repeatedly asked those who were passing by and gathered to hear her was, “what if we knew enough to stop another one of these from happening?”
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/09/24/anti-ahmadinejad-protesters-removed-from-ground-zero/

2pm:
My take on the very latest...
- The gathering of MuscleHeads at Ground Zero this morning. Though we might stress it was officially a volunteer event NOT associated with WMCA-570 in New York. We will let you hear from those who came. We will also take your calls on how you believe Mahmoud Ahamdinejad’s visit to New York this morning is affecting our city and our future. We will watch and ponder his visits to the U.N. and the Columbia University campus as well.

Also along these lines President Bush is quoted as saying that Columbia had the right to invite Mr. Ahmadinejad. He also asserted that Ahmadinejad would use it to advance his agenda... which mean he wants to mislead the American people of his true intentions (nuclear, Israel, United States, and Great Britain.)
Not convincing to legislators as a number of them are attempting to cut Columbia University’s aid!

http://kevinmccullough.townhall.com/

Update: 4:30pm Eastern Over to Ground Zero; Update: Who didn’t get to speak

Meantime, no sign of the Iranian nutjob here at Ground Zero. It’s possible he squeezed in his visit this morning when the protesters were cleared up. If so, though, why would he sit on the disgusting propaganda photos?
Update: 4:35pm Eastern. We’ve headed over to Ground Zero, where some of the Columbia University protesters have gathered in case the Iranian nutjob decides to sneak his cursed wreath onto the memorial site.
After the Columbia University speech let out, dozens of protesters stood at the front gates of Columbia chanting “Shame on Columbia!” The anti-Mahmoud coalition took on a few clueless ANSWER protesters clad in orange and Bush Derangement Syndrome bumper stickers. I interviewed Iranian-American dissident Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi of the Secular Muslim Summit, who was livid after confronting the moral equivalence and historical ignorance of the moonbats holding anti-Bush signs. The Jewish groups and Iranian critics of the mullahcracy were joined by many NYC-area bloggers and Gathering of Eagles members as well.

Update 5:45pm Eastern. Judith at Kesher Talk has photos of the protesters and 9/11 family members who gathered at Ground Zero this morning before being hustled out by the Port Authority.
http://www.keshertalk.com/archives/2007/09/nyciranprotests.php

Update 2:15pm Eastern. Watching the speech on a TV at a deli. So, Columbia is getting an earful about Allah and Islam. Lots of finger-waving…and now he’s accusing the West of forcing other cultures into “submission.” Classic projection. He’s complaining about nuclear intimidation. Seriously. He attacks the West for “denying the scientific progress of others.”
One CNN commentator is calling Columbia president Lee Bollinger’s introduction a “humiliating dress-down.” Bollinger chided Mahmoud for his “preposterous, belligerent statements.” Raves for Bollinger here. I’m withholding judgement. If you caught it and you agree, chime in.
Update 1:35pm Eastern. Inside the gates, Ahmadinejad has begun the “dialogue.” Video. There are several hundred counterprotesters outside the Columbia gates, mostly Jewish organizations and some brave Persian dissidents. I’ve talked to rabbis, young families, students, alumni. Most are livid that Columbia has penned them off campus. There are busloads of kids here, but many older folks are disappointed that the turnout isn’t higher. This may be because lots of people turned out for the anti-Mahmoud rally at the U.N. Organizers expect many of them to head over here. Lots of helicopters overhead.

http://michellemalkin.com/2007/09/24/mahmoudapalooza-the-madman-comes-calling/

Video: Bollinger’s rebuke to a “petty and cruel dictator”; Update: Students cheer Ahmadinejad’s rebuke to Bollinger
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/09/24/video-bollingers-rebuke-to-a-petty-and-cruel-dictator/

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