So, Stan and I went to protest the building of a mosque at the site of the September 11th 2001 massacre. Geert Wilders was by far my favorite speaker. I was put off by a few obnoxious people who were busying themselves arguing over chairs and trying to get media cameramen to move out of the way... but overall it was a peaceful, organized rally.
I wish the keynote speakers had included more people coming from an Atheist/secular perspective (there were a lot of "god bless America"s and "Amen"s; with the exception of Wilders, who steered clear of Christian rhetoric and stuck to the point). Regardless, the general sentiment was clear: that a mosque should not be built in such proximity to the place where so many victims were slaughtered in the name of religion.
Based on my firsthand experience of the event, it seems the media is having trouble getting an unbiased account of what happened. I did see some of the pro-mosque advocates after the rally was over: but most people were just walking home. Yes, there were some heated verbal confrontations (though I heard rather than saw most of them, or watched youtube clips after getting home) but I didn't witness any physical violence. More or less, your average New York City day. One excellent, albeit brief article I found online at International Business Times has perhaps the most accurate account that states facts rather than spin (pro- or anti- "spin" that is: there were definitely more than 1,000 anti-mosque advocates, but there is no way there were 40,000).
Please check out some clips I took of keynote speakers at the rally. Because of upload limits on blogspot, you'll have to follow these youtube links. I assure you, these are all worth watching.
Geert Wilders: Dutch Politician (Party for Freedom)
(You can watch his entire 15 minute speech on his official website.)
Joseph Nassralla: Egyptian Coptic Christian Activist
Ilario Pantano: US Marine and N.C. Congressional Candidate
Sam Khoshbaten: Muslim Iranian Activist
