Protests against the Iranian government and human rights violations [1] in Iran await Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is traveling [2]to New York this week to attend the United Nation's General Assembly. Citizen media is encouraging people to take part in the demonstrations today and tomorrow.
[3] Meanwhile, the New York Helmsley Hotel has canceled [4] a banquet next week after discovering that Ahmadinejad was scheduled to attend and speak.
Nikahang Kowsar [5], a leading cartoonist and blogger in one of his cartoons show a homeless Ahmadinejad in New York, asking the Statue of Liberty for a place to stay. In the cartoon's caption we read:
“Sister, don't you have an empty house or a mouse hole for rent for a week?”
Here is a video inviting people to protest against Ahmadinejad in the name of martyrs. The video displays a collection of posters and photos used in Iran's demonstrations.
At United4Iran,a non-partisan collaborative network working for human and civil rights in Iran, we read [6]:
Where Is My Vote NY, along with other grassroots organizations, invite you to participate in the September 23rd & 24th demonstrations at the UN Headquarters in New York City. They are protesting Ahmadinejad’s presence due to violations to the human and civil rights of the Iranian people, as guaranteed by the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratified by Iran.
Kaaveh Aahangar explains [7] in Iranian.com why protesting against Ahmadinejad in New York is not a waste of time:
The media notices when and where a protest is held. Bystanders and passers-by notice when a protest event happens. Politicians notice when there is a protest. And if the protest is staged well, it will invariably make somebody look at the cause with new attitude. Protest events are not persuasive in and of themselves, but they invite persuasion. They invite change. They invite a second look at the issues and the cause. Protests make the public, the politicians, and policymakers aware that people care strongly about that particular cause.