Paterson, Giuliani, Others Stand for Freedom in Iran

Protesters against Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stand outside the United Nations General Assembly in Midtown on Thursday. (Lixin Sun/The Epoch Times)

NEW YORK—One day after Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went on an anti-Semitic tirade at the United Nations General Assembly, thousands gathered outside the United Nations Plaza to demand freedom for all Iranians from Ahmadinejad’s oppressive regime on Thursday. Speakers at the event included New York Governor David Paterson and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani—who is considering a run for the governor seat next year.

“We will not stand for any more of President Ahmadinejad,” said Gov. Paterson.

“The regime stands against everything we value,” said Giuliani.

Other speakers included Nobel Laureate Elie Weisel.

“Ahmadinejad is the number one Holocaust denier in the world,” said Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, who called on world leaders to shun Ahmadinejad. “He’s unworthy of your attention, he’s unworthy of being your colleague. He’s in fact an enemy of humanity.”

The list of grievances with the Iranian regime includes arresting innocent civilians, imprisoning students, brutalizing protesters, torturing dissidents, abusing women, executing children, sponsoring terror groups, threatening to annihilate Israel, and violating international resolutions while developing nuclear weaponry.
One group that participated in the event, called the Israel Project, gave detailed analysis on the best way for dealing with Iran.

“With Iran’s economy dependent on foreign trade and investment, a comprehensive program of economic sanctions, combined with divestment programs, could persuade Iran to take definitive action to stop its nuclear program,” reads a report from the Israel Project.

However, the group concluded that while much has been said against the Iranian regime, little concrete action has materialized.

“In fact, at the same time that world powers and the EU are looking to more forcefully strengthen sanctions against Iran for its refusal to stop producing enriched uranium, as mandated by the United Nations, many of these same countries are currently forging new business deals with the Islamic Republic.”

One example given is the European Union, which continues to be Iran’s largest trading partner, with $39 billion in imports and exports in 2006.