Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, explained in an interview with MSNBC on Friday why he decided to protest the speech of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the UN General Assembly.
Erdan was removed from the hall during Raisi’s speech as he displayed the picture of Mahsa Amini, who was brutally murdered a year ago by the Iranian regime for not properly covering her hair.
“Last week we commemorated one year since the brutal murder of Mahsa Amini, and her murder sparked a wave of big protests all across Iran, where many protesters were executed, and here inside the UN hall, the UN which was founded in order to prevent atrocities and give a voice to so many people around the world, this mass murderer was given the red carpet treatment and all the ambassadors, or many of them, stayed inside,” said Erdan.
“I felt that I needed to do something to draw the attention of the international community to the atrocities that this ruthless regime is doing every day in Iran, so I peacefully, silently held up the photo of Mahsa Amini, and suddenly I was dragged out of the General Assembly by UN security. I have to admit I was shocked,” added the Ambassador.
Since the incident, said Erdan, “I have gotten thousands and thousands of e-mails and text messages from Iranians from all across the globe, who are telling me how much they were moved and emboldened by my action.”
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)