Hundreds of people, including New York Governor David Paterson and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel, gathered outside the UN building on Thursday to protest against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's
participation in the General Assembly session.
| Ahmadinejad's Speech |
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| Sweden: Ahmadinejad did not cross 'red line' with UN speech / AFP |
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Foreign Ministry in Stockholm says certain criteria were set for when EU delegates would leave room during Iranian president's address which were not fulfilled |
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During the rally Wiesel called on the international community to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, adding that the regime in Tehran was committing crimes against humanity in its suppression of the civil unrest that erupted on the heels of Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election on June 12.
The demonstration, titled "Stand for freedom in Iran," was the initiative of a coalition of Jewish groups, who were joined by a number of non-Jewish human rights groups, exiled Iranian opposition leaders and other American organizations and trade unions.
'We cannot stand idly by.' Rally in New York
Oded Feuer, the Jewish Agency's representative in New York told Ynet on Wednesday that the rally's participants "realize that this is about conveying a broader message on human rights.
"There is a sense that the city does not want Ahmadinejad here, and the scheduled participation of New York's governor in the rally attests to that," he said.
The protest, said Feuer, is against Ahmadinejad's call to annihilate Israel, Iran's nuclear aspirations and the violence used to suppress the protests that followed the disputed elections.
"As citizens of the free world, we cannot stand idly by while an entire nation is oppressed by a dictator," he said.
"The fact that Ahmadinejad has been given a stage and was applauded is terrible, but the speech is only the trigger - the Iranian regime (must fall), and all those who can help make it happen must act."
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