While we were conducting our hugely successful International Freedom Congress on free speech, our embassies were being viciously attacked in the jihadists’ war on ….. free speech and freedom of conscience.The bloody irony is not lost on us. The Obama administration’s apology for “religious incitement” and “hurting the feelings of Muslims” crystallizes the battle set before us.
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The program ran a bit long, and was packed to begin with — yet for four and a half hours, the crowd remained riveted, and no one left. The downside was we had no time for a Q & A.
One key highlight of the afternoon was the surprise appearance of EDL leader Tommy Robinson, who was not allowed
into the U.S. by quisling officials when he tried to attend our Ground Zero freedom rally in 2010. Tommy and his
partner Kevin Carroll spoke powerfully about how they have worked to defend freedom and human rights in the UK, and
yet are repeatedly and viciously maligned by a compromised media. Muhammad cartoonist Lars Vilks (who seemed to have
a Swedish media swarm about him at all times) delivered a wonderful, clever presentation with humor art and aplomb.
He had the house rolling with laughter with his dryly witty presentation about his adventures with his cartoons of
Muhammad in the leftist art world. Other notable speakers were my lawyer, AFLC’s David Yerushalmi, who has
represented me in a number of free speech cases; Israeli scholar Dr. Mordechai Kedar, who held up the Palestinian
jihad to the light of reality beyond jihad propaganda; Bev Perlson of Band of Mothers; my European partner Anders
Gravers of SIOE; and so many others — Pamela Hall is
Marion ds Dreyfus wrote of the event:
The event on Wednesday, 9/11, at the UN Plaza Millennium, SION (Stop Islamization of Nations), featured a 5-hr (it ran over an hour) global look at the injured and historical run-up to where we are today. How spooky that the attacks and murder of the American Ambassador in Libya, Chris Stevens, and his staff, as well as the storming of the Cairo Embassy, were both on 9/11–the symbolism ought not escape our notice.
The SION event was organized by activist and author Pamela Geller and historian/author Robert Spencer.
The speakers (all save NYS Senator David Strobin) were fierce and data-rich, often eloquent (especially George Igler
of the UK’s Discourse Institute, and Mordechai Kedar from Israel). A Hindu speaker (Babu Suseelan) and a Copt speaker (Ashraf Rameleh) recounted the atrocities to their respective peoples and nations, deaths in the millions upon millions. Cliff Kincaid (Accuracy in Media) and brilliant pioneer in shari’a, David Yerushalmi (Center for Security Policy, with whom I have worked with great delight) spoke on freedom of speech and its efforted compromises by the islamists and shari’a; Kevin Carroll (UK, Eng. Defense League) gave hair-raising examples of lawsuits and islamic demonstrations and jail terms for absurd trivia that impacted on the delicate sensibilities of the apparently unhinged Brit contingent of muslims out of control. Igler added to the horrors, and amplified the infection of PC and oblivious madmen who are unfazed as the muslims take over law and living in the UK, despite the alarmed minority who see the dangers. For all speakers, the media colludes in this civilizational jihad in a mighty and frightening way, per the two Brit speakers. Debbie Robinson (Q society, Australia) and Nelly Braginsky (9/11 family member) spoke on free speech here and in Oz. NYS senator strobin rambled on somewhat incoherently until Spencer gently thanked him and indicated he might now take his seat again.
Humor was brought in by Swedish Cartoonist Lars Vilks, who takes his death threats for drawing dogs with muslim contexts in a sardonic and almost affable way; he is surrounded by bodyguards ‘round the clock, he allows. His slide-assisted talk was risible, and provided the audience a needed chance to express laughter… although the eruption of ugliness toward this mostly mild and inoffensive cartoonery is, again, unbelievable. Tall and lank and blond, he is a good spokesman for the reversal back to sanity in his country, where rape and crazy protests are now the new normal. Anders Gravers (partner in Europe with Spencer and Geller), and Danish Lars Hedegaard on free speech in Denmark brought up the rear.The event was solid, though it, again, lacked a TO-DO list or a debate that would have brought to light aspects of these issues that might have been unexplored in the unitary approach of podium addresses. There were four panels on freedom of speech here and in the UK, defense against jihad and the ongoing battle for free speech in Europe.
Though appealing and credible, each evinced speakers without back and forth or Q & A.