Who Are You And What Have You Done
with Germany? In a frankly stunning development as far as I am concerned, a very diverse coalition of political groups, religious leaders and other prominent Germans are protesting Iranian policies all across Germany. This is the single largest sighting of incipient backbones developing yet.
Iran's Football team will be met with a series of protests across Germany during their World Cup campaign as anger mounts against the country's viciously anti-semitic President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Senior politicians, Jewish groups and a prominent German TV host will join a demonstration today in Nuremberg hours before Iran play their opening match of the tournament against Mexico in the city. They are furious that Ahmadinejad's deputy, Mohammad Aliabadi, has been allowed into the country after the Iranian President called the Holocaust 'a fairytale' and called for the destruction of Israel.
….
A cross-party group of German politicians is due to speak at the protest, including Gunter Beckstein, Bavaria's right-wing Interior Minister, and Claudia Roth, the co-leader of Germany's Green Party. The country's most famous Jewish TV personality, Michel Friedman, will also attend. He has threatened to take legal action against Ahmadinejad if he comes to Germany, where Holocaust denial is a criminal offence.
Hundreds of Jewish people are expected at today's event, with busloads arriving from Berlin, Munich and other cities. Jewish leaders are comparing the presence of the Iran team and Aliabadi at the World Cup with the Berlin Olympics before the Second World War, when Adolf Hitler sought to use the Games to promote Aryan supremacy and his own leadership.
'Aliabadi's presence means we could have a repeat of the 1936 Olympics, when they were hijacked by Hitler for his own political purposes and presentation,' said Rene Pollak, chairman of the Zionist Federation of Frankfurt. 'We should have denied him entry to the country. Western leaders should know by now that appeasing fascist regimes does not work.'
I am very surprised and very pleased by this development. The fact that such a diverse group is willing to come forward and actually confront the reality of the situation in Iran is a very good sign for Europe, I think. Maybe the ruling elites will begin to see the light, too.
Well, we can hope, can't we?
UPDATE: There have been a number of arrests inside Iran to prevent people from protesting as the World Cup game gets underway. Gateway Pundit continues to shame the mainstream medai with an incredible roundup of news about Iran and the unrest within it's borders. Don't miss Publius Pundit's picture. (Work safe, gratuitious babe shot for the troops).
Iran, World news | Gaius Sunday, 11 June , 2006
By Roland Hesz, Monday, 12 June , 2006 @ 5:28 am
Yes, I gather that spitting on the football team, harassing them, and generally doing everything to shatter their moral on this event is a really human, peaceful and most of all well placed thing to do.
After all, these damned football players are the root of all evils…
Go, and protest at the embassy… Same result, but at least they won’t harass people who has nothing to do with the regime….
People can be such assholes at times.
Talk about fairness and love of sport.