As Ahmadinejad heads for NYC, protesters head for Columbia

Associated Press

September 23, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) _ Critics of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prepared for protests as the hardline leader headed Sunday for New York, where his planned speeches at a high-profile university and the United Nations have aroused a storm of opposition.

Some elected officials and civic leaders planned to demonstrate Sunday outside Columbia University, where Ahmadinejad was scheduled to speak Monday.

Protests were to follow Monday near Columbia and the U.N., where the Iranian president was to address the General Assembly on Tuesday. Some political leaders and religious groups have said Columbia should not give Ahmadinejad a platform.

Among them are the head of the City Council, Christine Quinn, who has said "the idea of Ahmadinejad as an honored guest anywhere in our city is offensive to all New Yorkers." ... Read More