NEW YORK
Critics of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad started protesting before the hardline leader even made his scheduled arrival in New York for a couple of planned speeches at a high-profile university and the United Nations that have aroused a storm of opposition.
A group elected officials and civic leaders demonstrated Sunday outside Columbia University, where Ahmadinejad was scheduled to speak Monday. Protests were to follow Monday near Columbia and the U.N., where the Iranian president was to address the General Assembly on Tuesday.
City Councilmember David Weprin said, “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.”
State Assemblyman Dov Hikind added, “He should be arrested when he comes to Columbia University, not invited to speak for God’s sake.”
Some political leaders and religious groups have said Columbia should not give Ahmadinejad a platform. Among them are the head of the City Council, Christine Quinn, who has said “the idea of Ahmadinejad as an honored guest anywhere in our city is offensive to all New Yorkers.”
Ahmadinejad has called the Holocaust “a myth” and called for Israel to be “wiped off the map.” The White House has said Iran sponsors terrorism and is trying to develop nuclear weapons, while Iran insists its atomic activities are aimed at producing energy.
