Protests Greet Iranian President

Iranian-Americans Demonstrate Against Ahmadinejad Outside U.N.

(CBS) 
Lynn Smith Derbyshire, an American woman who spoke at the protest, lost her brother in October of 1983, when he was killed along with 240 other U.S. marines in a terrorist strike on his military barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. In 2003, A U.S. District Court judge ruled that Iran had sponsored the attack and had directed the terrorist group Hezbollah to carry it out, but Derbyshire and other victims' family members have still not received compensation.

“Twenty-two years later, there is still a hole in my heart and in my family and in my life. And twenty-two years later, there is still no justice,” Derbyshire told the receptive crowd, her voice cracking with emotion.

Although Ahmadinejad has not been accused of having a direct role in the Beirut bombing, Derbyshire is appalled that the Iranian president was allowed to appear at the U.N.

“I think that he should not be here at the invitation of the U.N. He should be here to stand trial for his crimes,” she said.

The protest had a festive atmosphere, with Iranian-Americans joining political activists who came from as far away as Denmark to show solidarity. They danced and sang amid a sea of blue and yellow balloons and confetti.

“The rally calls for a firm and resolute policy by the U.S. and the international community in the face of the growing threat of the Iranian regime,” the NYCA stated in its policy goals. “This policy must reject both appeasement and foreign war in favor of support for Iranian people and organized resistance.”

A diverse slate of speakers took the podium and addressed the ebullient audience, ranging from NYCA representatives to former New York Fire Commissioner Thomas Von Essen. The speakers and protestors were united by their anger with the Iranian regime and frustration with the world for not doing enough to quell it.

“Oh, Washington. Does the phrase, ‘We stand for democracy in the Middle East’ have real meaning, or was it just a political slogan?” Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker, one of several religious leaders who addressed the crowd, asked.

While Mostashari said that she and her countrymen have endured a lot, her optimism for the future is what keeps her active in the cause of promoting Iranian freedom. She offered some advice that she hoped world leaders would consider, as they convened at the U.N.

“The hope is for the entire world to stop economic dealings with the Iranian government,” Mostashari said. “If they just stop buying oil, [the regime] will collapse.”