[ April 18, 2024 ]
The message is getting out there – even in hostile publications like Russia Today (one step away from Al Jazeera):
“NYC judge lets through anti-Palestinian ‘killing Jews’ ad as ‘freedom of speech,’” Russia Today, April 22, 2015
Story continues below advertisementDozens of buses and trains emblazoned with anti-Hamas slogans will travel through New York City, after a judge overturned a ban from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
John G. Koeltl, of United States District Court, said the MTA “underestimate the tolerant quality of New Yorkers and overestimate the potential impact of these fleeting advertisements.”
“Moreover, there is no evidence that seeing one of these advertisements on the back of a bus would be sufficient to trigger a violent reaction. Therefore, these ads — offensive as they may be — are still entitled to First Amendment protection.”
The advertisement, which came before Judge Koeltl, is a spoof of an earlier campaign by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which encouraged Twitter users to post messages with the hashtag #MyJihad, which literally translates as ‘struggle’ from Arabic. Instead of boasting about killing infidels, Muslims would talk about their peaceful and personal achievements.
In the advert commissioned by the pro-Israeli American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), a masked man is portrayed, next to the caption “Killing Jews is Worship that draws us close to Allah” attributed to “Hamas MTV.” The tagline below states, “That’s His Jihad. What’s yours?” At least 50 MTA buses are to be branded with the adverts, according to New York Daily News.
After similar campaigns in San Francisco and Chicago, the AFDI paid $100,000 in 2014 to run 100 adverts on the sides of public coaches. Five similar images were accepted, but the MTA rejected this one, over claims it incited violence.
Adam Lisberg, an MTA spokesman, said: “We are disappointed in the ruling and are reviewing our options. MTA now has 30 days to lodge an appeal.”
“This is a triumph for liberty and free speech,” tweeted Pamela Geller, the AFDI president, who said that her group would commission more ads than originally planned, and would seek for MTA to reimburse its legal costs.
New York’s Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the adverts, despite them being given the greenlight by the judge.
“These hateful messages serve only to divide and stigmatize when we should be coming together as one city,” said a statement from a spokesman. “While those behind these ads only display their irresponsible intolerance, the rest of us who may be forced to view them can take comfort in the knowledge that we share a better, loftier and nobler view of humanity.”
Judge Koeltl’s decision marks the latest victory by the AFDI against MTA, and is at least the ninth lawsuit it has filed against metropolitan authorities for turning down its campaigns.
In fact, the MTA’s current rules concerning “inciting violence” were brought in after the AFDI won another lawsuit in 2012 after the municipal authority refused to run an advert calling Palestinians “savages” on the basis that it was offensive. Then, just as now, the AFDI’s campaign was upheld thanks to the First Amendment.
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10 Comments
8 years ago
Not really related but just a touch of sanity and class. Click on Lady Sings the Blues and there you have not only Lady Day singing Fine and Mellow but Vic Dickenson, Roy Eldrige, Coleman Hawkins, Gerry Mulligan, Ben Webster and Lester Young. I had the privilege of seeing Gerry Mulligan live in Leicester, UK many years ago. Enjoy :
8 years ago
RT is an anti-Semitic cesspool while the regime supports shiite fascism. The Chechnya problem will only metastasize though. Karma.
8 years ago
The ads simply tell he truth about Islam and muslims hatred towards Jews.
The media won’t tell the truth.
Obama calls Islam peaceful even as people are being killed today in the Mideast, France, New York, Mumbai all in the name of Islam.
8 years ago
Reply to
Ads Simply Tell The Truth
You left out Britain, Oklahoma, Washington DC and Beltway, Nigeria, Nairobi Kenya, Iraq, Fascist Iran, Australia, Canada, Netherlands.
8 years ago
Then I guess I am free to do the same about killing muslims.
8 years ago
So happy for this victory.
But disappointed that the judge didn’t state that, if Muslims became violent over our 1st Amendment freedom, we would shut them down. That Muslim violence is not caused by our freedom but because of their own black hearts.
8 years ago
Reply to
Bilbo
Their black hearts are the cause and affect of Muhammad’s unholy Qur’an….:
8 years ago
Anti-Terrorism, Anti-Jihad, Anti-9/11, Anti-Beheading = Anti-Pal-e-SWINIANISM.
Check.
8 years ago
The yahoo stated twice that muslims were the targeted bad guys , deliberately misleading folks .
Why is it so hard to say /think terrorists ? Because progressives like the author support them . They have this goal in common , the destruction of the Western countries , and progressives long ago decided that they could let the terrorists do the heavy lifting . Fools and cowards , the left does not care what the end result is , as long as any form of democracy is rubbed out .
Validate your 2nd Amendment Rights . Carry
8 years ago
This received treatment on “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News Thursday night.
