United Against Nuclear Iran successfully spearheaded the isolation of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in 2011. Our protest and advocacy activities were featured in a number of media outlets, including CBS New York, AFP, NBC New York, CNN, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, The Daily Caller, CBS Radio, and the New York Post among many others. Additional information about UANI's advocacy and protest activities and related media coverage can be found on the UN General Assembly Campaign page.
As in previous years, UANI broke the news regarding where Ahmadinejad was staying - the Warwick New York Hotel - and promptly alerted our supporters and the media. As a result, the Warwick Hotel was confronted with considerable backlash from the public and negative coverage in the news media for its decision to provide Ahmadinejad with accommodations.
UANI subsequently relocated its headquarters to the Warwick Hotel for the remainder of Ahmadinejad's visit in order to better coordinate protest activities, present Ahmadinejad with a petition, and glean first-hand information about his whereabouts and activities. For example, UANI confirmed a dinner hosted by Ahmadinejad at the Warwick for students and faculty from U.S. universities including Columbia, Princeton and New York University and was able to immediately notify our supporters and the media.
We are pleased to report that our activities have already resulted in significant reputational and financial harm for the Warwick Hotel. This is only right, as Ahmadinejad is the leader of a criminal regime that flouts international law by developing an illegal nuclear weapon, ruthlessly violates the human rights of its people, and is the world's leading sponsor of terror. He is also a notorious purveyor of anti-Semitism and ugly conspiracy theories-this year he once again used his platform at the UNGA to deny the Holocaust and suggest that the U.S. government was behind the September 11 attacks.
Clearly, no venue should be providing accommodation for such a leader without incurring severe reputational and financial consequences. The foregoing protest activities, in combination with UANI's unique UNGA advertising campaigns, drew attention to the Warwick's inappropriate decision to host Ahmadinejad and highlighted the consensus opinion among Americans that Ahmadinejad is not welcome in New York.
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In the lead up to Ahmadinejad's arrival, UANI secured commitments from New York hotels to not host Ahmadinejad as part of its annual UNGA Campaign. UANI also unveiled a billboard in Times Square, as well as a mobile billboard and bicycle billboards to be driven through Midtown Manhattan near the UN with stops at Iran's UN Mission and the Warwick.