Ahmadinejad Visit to UN Sparks Protests, Walkouts

On a day where several hundred demonstrators rallied and chanted outside UN headquarters against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York, European Union and American diplomats inside the world body staged their own protest, walking out half way through the Iranian President’s address to the General Assembly.

In his half hour speech, Ahmadinejad’s listed off a long line of rhetorical questions condemning American and European foreign policy as far back as the 17th century.

“Who imposed colonialism for over four centuries upon this world?…Who triggered the first and second world wars? Who created the wars in the Korean peninsula and Vietnam? Who imposed, through deceit and hypocrisy, the zionist and all their 60 years of war, homelessness, terror and mass murder on the Palestinian people and countries of the region?” 

Ahmadinejad also spoke of more recent events,blaming the global economic crisis on the greed of Western governments and corporation, criticizing the Security Council’s bias towards Israel and putting in question NATO’s motives in Libya. 

“ Do these arrogant powers really have the competence and ability to run or govern the world? Or is it acceptable that they call themselves as the sole defender of freedom democracy and human rights, while they militarily attack and occupy other countries? Can the flower of democracy blossom from NATO’s missiles, bombs or guns?”

Last year, diplomats walked out of the Iranian President’s General Assembly address after he said the September 11th attacks could have been orchestrated by the American intelligence community and called for an international investigation into the matter

Ahmadinejad once again brought up 9/11 conspiracy theories, this time questioning American motives behind the operation to kill Osama Bin Laden.

“Instead of assigning a fact finding team, they killed the main perpetrator and threw his body into the sea…why should it not have been allowed to bring him to trial, to help recognize those who launch terrorist groups and brought wars and other miseries into the region?Is there any classified information that must be kept secret?”

The US mission to the UN issued a short response to the Iranian President’s address. 

“Mr. Ahmadinejad had a chance to address his own people’s aspirations for freedom and dignity, but instead he again turned to abhorrent anti-Semitic slurs and despicable conspiracy theories.” said the statement.