For those of you wondering how to get involved in the protests tomorrow in New York you might want to check out Voices for Iran which has been tirelessy organizing here in New York City in preparation for Ahmadinejad’s arrival to attend the United Nations general assembly. (they also have information about chartered buses from Washington to New York)
As Gary Sick has noted, the New York Times blog has written today about the masses of Iranian activists who are coming to New York from across the United States and Canada to protest the Iranian leader. It seems this time around the Iranian diaspora is finally united (despite a few old school protesters and their kids) in its hopes for reform over revolution.
The qizilbash team hopes to bring live coverage tomorrow from the event. So check early and check often.
From the NPR blog:
The Empire State Building will be bathed in green lights.
And the display will come at the same time as Iranian activists stage protests around the city over Ahmadinejad’s appearance at this week’s opening of the U.N. General Assembly.
As The Wall Street Journal explains, the owners of the building are not endorsing the activists’ movement. In fact, a request from some activists to have the green lights turned on this week was turned down by Empire State Building Co.
But — and here’s where what the activists believe is a good omen comes into the story — the owners did approve a request to turn on the green lights this Thursday in honor of the 70th anniversary of film The Wizard of Oz.
What great fortune for the Green Wave NYC!
(thanks maryam)
Mark Regev has been claiming pretty much since day one that the IDF has been allowing supplies to get into Gaza so that NGOs and other authories in the occupied territories can begin rebuilding efforts. Well, we all know that’s not true. Indeed only recently have people like Tony Blair, managed to put some pressure on the Israelis to get some supplies in, but let’s see how long that lasts.
In the meantime life continues to blow in Gaza, the world’s largest open-air prison. For example, the UN has just issued a press release calling upon the IDF to ease some of its restrictions on imports to Gaza so that they (the UN) can help to rebuild schools destroyed during the Israeli invation in late December\Early January.
From the press release:
The 18 schools that were completely destroyed and the 280 others that were damaged in the Israeli military offensive six months ago have not been rebuilt or rehabilitated because of restrictions placed on the movement of reconstruction materials and other supplies into Gaza, according to a joint news release issued by various UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
In north Gaza, 9,000 students from 15 damaged schools have been spread among 73 schools in the same area, with 4,000 of them squeezed into two schools, and some 1,200 secondary students running the risk of being left without a school next month.
“The blockade has caused untold suffering to children in Gaza, who face another academic year in terrible conditions,” said Philippe Lazzarini, acting UN Humanitarian Coordinator of the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) in the joint statement.
More on the UN press release here.
