Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Protests Outside, Walkouts Inside: Ahmadinejad At The U.N.
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 24, 2009
Modified Sep 24, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 7
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 24, 2009
Modified Sep 24, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took to the United Nations General Assembly stage—and got the U.S., French, British, Canadian and other delegations to walk out when he referred to Israel in his speech: "It is no longer acceptable that a small minority would dominate the politics, economy and culture of major parts of the world by its complicated networks, and establish a new form of slavery, and harm the reputation of other nations, even European nations and the US, to attain its racist ambitions."
Israel, naturally, wasn't present either, but the NY Times still characterized the speech as "less pointedly confrontational than his previous statements," noting that Ahmadinejad also said, "Our nation is prepared to warmly shake all those hands which are honestly extended to us. We welcome real and human exchanges and stand ready to actively engage in fundamental global reforms." He also criticized capitalism, "It is no longer possible to inject thousands of billions of dollars of unreal wealth into the world economy simply by printing worthless paper." Here's his speech:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Outside the U.N., hundreds of protesters gathered to criticize Ahmadinejad, still upset about the Iranian elections. One protester told the Daily News, "He is not our voice. He is not our representative. We want him out of the UN." The Times also reports that world powers, including the U.S., China and Russia, said they "would give Iran a chance to begin negotiating seriously over its nuclear program at a meeting on Oct. 1, or face consequences — harsher sanctions."
Tagged
general assembly
iran
Iranian elections
mahmoud ahmadinejad
protests
speech
united nations
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Jersey City mayor shakes up staff amid $255M budget gap
The city’s finance director, deputy mayor for housing, and several other senior officials resigned.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 8, 2026 at 2:40 p.m. ET
Bronx residents will be exempt from new Medicaid work rule, state officials say
High unemployment entitles borough residents to a waiver from the new requirement, officials said.
By
Caroline Lewis
News
Bronx residents will be exempt from new Medicaid work rule, state officials say
High unemployment entitles borough residents to a waiver from the new requirement, officials said.
By
Caroline Lewis
MTA chair accuses Andy Byford, who's leading Penn Station rebuild, of going 'full MAGA'
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Carol Chen
NYC parents want affordable childcare. But they don't all want the same thing.
By
Karen Yi
NY gov race pits old immigration playbook against new outrage over data centers
By
Jimmy Vielkind
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .