UANI Calls on Warwick Hotel to Reconsider Hosting Ahmadinejad and Iranian Delegation During UN General Assembly

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 30, 2012

Contact: Nathan Carleton, [email protected] 

Phone: (212) 554-3296

UANI Calls on Warwick Hotel to Reconsider Hosting Ahmadinejad and Iranian Delegation During UN General Assembly

[Click here to tell the Warwick New York Hotel not to host Ahmadinejad, or call the Warwick directly at 212-247-2700 to respectfully voice your concern.]

New York, NY - On Thursday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on the Warwick New York Hotel to reconsider hosting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Iranian delegation during next month's UN General Assembly. UANI has learned that the Warwick is currently in discussions with Iranian officials to host Ahmadinejad and his delegation for the second consecutive year.

In a letter sent today to Mr. G. Paul LeBlanc, General Manager of the Warwick New York Hotel, and Richard Chiu, President of Warwick International Hotels, UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, called on the Warwick to reconsider its decision:

... By this letter, UANI and its supporters demand that the Warwick immediately reconsider its decision to accommodate the Iranian delegation and refuse to host Ahmadinejad.

Incredibly, this would be Warwick's second consecutive year hosting Ahmadinejad and the Iranian regime's delegation. Warwick should recall that it clearly paid for its decision to host Ahmadinejad in 2011 with lost business and negative publicity, including news articles and video reports by CBS New York, AFP, NBC New York, CNN, The Atlantic,Huffington Post,The Daily Caller,CBS Radio, and the New York Post. The Warwick should not repeat this mistake in 2012.

****

... in 2011, at the same time that the Warwick was providing luxury accommodations to the Iranian delegation, Ahmadinejad was delivering a speech before the General Assembly in which he despicably claimed that the U.S. orchestrated the September 11 terrorist attacks, condemned the killing of Osama bin Laden and denied the Holocaust. Ahmadinejad's remarks were so objectionable that members of the U.S., EU, Canadian and other Western delegations were compelled to walk-out of the meeting in protest. Nevertheless, despite the widespread outrage engendered by his remarks, Ahmadinejad was welcomed back to the friendly confines of the Warwick upon the conclusion of his speech.

Furthermore, in addition to regularly disseminating anti-American and anti-Semitic rhetoric, the Iranian regime continues to brutally abuse its own citizens. In 2011, Iran reportedly executed 670 people, including quadrupling its rate of public executions. The Warwick's unionized labor force may be particularly disturbed by the regime's treatment of labor organizers and union members. According to Amnesty International, "independent unions in Iran are banned, workers have few legal rights or protections, and union activists are regularly beaten, arrested, jailed and tortured." Iran's Labor Code does not grant citizens the right to form independent unions, despite Iran's ratification of the UN's International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and its membership in the International Labor Organization.

In light of Ahmadinejad's past rhetoric and the regime's record of persecution and support of terrorism around the world, New Yorkers, and by extension all Americans, will not look kindly on the Warwick if it provides Ahmadinejad with comfort and accommodation during his stay in New York City. ...

On July 30, UANI first called on the Warwick to not host Ahmadinejad and his delegation again.

Last week, UANI announced that the San Carlos Hotel, the Loews Regency Hotel, and Preferred Hotel Group have agreed not to host Ahmadinejad, following requests from UANI.

UANI has requested a response from the Warwick by September 6, 2012.

Click here to read UANI's full letter to the Warwick.

Click here to tell the Warwick New York Hotel not to host Ahmadinejad.

Click here to read UANI's July 30 letter to the Warwick.
Click here to learn more about UANI's 2011 Warwick campaign.

Click here to read Ambassador Wallace's October 2011 Op-Ed, "Rolling out the red carpet for Ahmadinejad."

Click here to learn more about UANI's Hotels Campaigns.

###