Salt Lake City to issue permit for the ‘Death to Israel’ rally
Day of protests: Jewish community concerned, but acknowledges First Amendment rights
By Heather May
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City will allow local defense attorney Robert Breeze to hold a “Death to Israel” demonstration Wednesday despite concerns from the Jewish community.
The permit will be approved next week, after the city and Breeze finalize where the demonstration, one of several planned for that day, will be held. It will run from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Breeze, 52, said his goal is to protest “the torture and murder inflicted on Muslims by Israel and the penetration of the U.S. media by Israeli intelligence.”
While he said his group - the Center to Prevent Corporate Media Lying - has other members and financial donors, Breeze wouldn’t name them. And he acknowledged some of his past protests against media coverage of the Iraq war that he held in front of the KSL studios included paid participants from the homeless shelter.
Some demonstrators Wednesday also may be paid.
“They’re called ‘vicarious protesters,’ ” he said.
When asked if he wants to see the elimination of Israel, Breeze said: “The President of Iran has an excellent idea. . . . I would like to see them move Israel to Virginia and put all the current Virginians in a concentration camp. Then we’ll see how popular Israel is [in the United States].”
Last year, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be “wiped off the map,” to the condemnation of several world leaders.
Bill Tumpowsky, chairman of the Jewish Community Relations
Council, said he expected the city would grant the permit. He and others remain concerned.
“We collectively stand in tremendous support of the First Amendment,” he said. “This has many members of the Jewish community frightened. When you say, ‘Death to Israel,’ it speaks death to Jews. We’re deeply saddened to see that form of ugly bigotry express itself here in Salt Lake City.”
He encouraged people who oppose Breeze’s message to express their opposition Wednesday.
City Attorney Ed Rutan said the city wasn’t forced to grant the permit. “You may not like somebody’s speech but it’s equally protected under the First Amendment.” Breeze - who won a lawsuit last year against Salt Lake County after sheriff’s deputies told him he couldn’t bring a flier supporting polygamists Heidi Mattingly Foster and John Daniel Kingston into the courthouse - denied he is anti-Semitic.
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August 28th, 2006 at 10:29 pm
Hey, Sniff, here’s one for ye:
www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/28/hud.hoax/index.html
August 28th, 2006 at 11:35 pm
That was funny, hey i should try that!
August 29th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
Pretending to be someone you are not (when that someone actually exists) can land a person IN JAIL. Not a good idea.
As for the article above, it’s not surprising to me. What I have found surprising (and sad, and upsetting, and mystifying) are how many otherwise wise or good people who are truly and deep-down anti-Semetic. They may not actively promote killing all the Jews, at least they won’t admit to that motive, but they can certainly sympathize with those who want to do so ….. At least with a rally of this sort, the people involved are being honest & open about their prejudice and leanings. Welcome to Nazi Germany…..