UN has lost its moral compass, says Israel’s ambassador after being detained for protesting Iranian president's speech
Erdan showed a photo of Mahsa Amini in protest against the regime
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, was detained by UN personnel as he left the Assembly Hall in protest against Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who addressed the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
“The UN's lost moral compass was on full display today,” Erdan told Fox News Digital after he was released.
“Being detained for standing with the Iranian people and protesting a vile mass murderer who was given an audience on the global stage is utterly disgraceful. Other ambassadors have previously held signs for ideological reasons, including in recent sessions on the war in Ukraine, with no repercussions.”
New moral stain for the UN ‼️
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) September 19, 2023
When President Raisi of Iran, the “Butcher of Tehran,” began his speech, I waved a picture of Mahsa Amini, the innocent Iranian woman who was brutally murdered by the regime one year ago for not wearing a hijab “properly.”
Meanwhile, outside the UN… pic.twitter.com/ZVq80Zpt9N
As Raisi began his speech, Erdan stood up and showed a photo of Mahsa Amini with the words, “Iranian women deserve freedom now!” before storming out of the hall.
UN personnel then shortly detained him with “unacceptable” brutality, Erdan said to Fox News Digital.
JUST IN: Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan was detained Tuesday at U.N. Headquarters — as seen in U.S. exclusive video from NEWSMAX — after protesting the speech of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. https://t.co/v9k51VTCPT pic.twitter.com/lpNgLzO6N7
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) September 19, 2023
Amini was killed a year ago while in the custody of Iranian regime forces after she was arrested for not properly covering her hair with her headscarf.
“While the butcher of Tehran is speaking at the UN and is being respected by the international community, hundreds of Iranians are protesting outside, shouting and calling on the international community to wake up and help them,” Erdan said in a statement following the incident.
“It is a disgrace that member states stay to listen to a mass murderer. I left the speech to make it clear that the State of Israel stands by the Iranian people. I call on the international community to stop the madness and prevent murderers and anti-Semites from coming and speaking here at the UN."
Erdan told Fox News Digital he wanted to draw the attention of the international community to the “hypocrisy and the moral distortion” of the United Nations. He said the organization was “founded to prevent atrocities.”
Prior to Raisi’s arrival in the U.S., the Israeli Consulate in New York launched a protest campaign against the regime leader, placing life-size cutouts of Raisi around the city to remind Americans that he is barred from visiting these sites due to sanctions against him for human rights abuses.
Raisi became known as the “Butcher of Tehran” for his role in the 1988 execution of political prisoners following the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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