Ahmadinejad at the UN - Protest Coverage

"We represent what is right and decent in a free Iran."

-Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge

More than 1,000 people gathered in the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza today to protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who addressed the U.N. General Assembly.

Many people organized for the event using social networking tools like facebook, twitter and youtube. Zari Rashidi was one of dozens of people who came to New York City Thursday from Fairfax, Virginia, where organizers used social media tools to organize efforts weeks in advance.

Rashidi arrived at the scene of the protest at 3 a.m. Thursday morning to help set up, and will likely be one of the last to leave today when she heads home. Originally from Tehran, Iran, she has come to New York every year since 2005 to advocate for the U.S. to remove the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

"We are here to send our voice to the U.N. -- we want him (Ahmadinejad) out of Iran," said Rashidi, who hasn't been back to Iran in more than 30 years. "It's a tradition for us (to come to New York). For Iranian people's freedom, we are more than willing to sacrifice our time, our money, our lives, you name it. Because one day Iranian people will live in peace and harmony."

Amir Kamali also came from Fairfax to protest. He said that supporters used both "old school" and "new school" ways of organizing, the latter led by a large number of younger people who Kamali said are becoming more involved in recent years.

"We pass out brochures and pamphlets to people, but we also have a lot of young people this year," Kamali said, adding that he plans on coming back next year if Ahmadinejad is still in power. "Every opportunity I've had to express my opposition, I made myself available to do that."

Other supporters included 55 people who boarded a bus in Lansing, Michigan and arrived in New York City shortly after midnight Thursday. Mansour came with his wife, and said that his brother was tortured and later killed in Iran because he was involved in communist party activities. He declined to give his last name, for fear that it would jeopardize the livelihood of his two children were they to return to Iran.

Mansour said his main concern is the well being of the more than 3,000 Iranian opposition members who live in Camp Ashraf, some 60 miles northeast of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Residents who live in the camp were granted protected persons status in 2004, but the safety of the group has been called into question by some after a pair of recent attacks that supporters say left dozens dead and many more wounded.

Scenes from today's protest in front of the U.N.

Rev. Jonathan Priest of St. John the Evangelist Lutheran Church in Brooklyn was at the protest at the U.N. today. Priest also attended similar protests last year.

The church has a history of getting involved in issues of social justice. He said two years ago his congregation was visited by a group of Iranians who spoke about human rights violations at Camp Ashraf.

A group of protesters leads an anti-Ahmadinejad chant in front of the U.N.

Thousands of people protested Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presence at the United Nations today.

Former member of Canadian Parliament David Kilgour addressing a crowd of protesters in front of the UN. Kilgour was nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. 

Thousands protest Ahmadinejad's presence at the United Nations.

Thousands protest Ahmadinejad's presence at the United Nations.

Thousands protest Ahmadinejad's presence at the United Nations.

Protestors show their support of Iranian opposition at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza.

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Wes Martin speaks to protesters in front of the U.N. building. "Allowing Ashraf to be attacked and people to be murdered is a crime against humanity," he says. Access Martin's report to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations under the House Committee of Foreign Affairs, "Massacre at Camp Ashraf: Implications for Foreign Policy?" here (PDF file).