UANI Calls on The Essex House to Refuse to Host President Ahmadinejad

New York, NY - United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) today called on The Essex House hotel to refuse to host President Ahmadinejad and offered the Essex House an opportunity to clarify its role as the host of a banquet for the Iranian delegation and as host for a speech by President Ahmadinejad on September 25, 2009 during his stay in New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). 

In a letter to Scott Dawson, General Manager of the Essex House, UANI President, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace wrote "UANI calls on the Essex House to clarify and reconsider its decision to host the banquet and address and instead decline to provide such a venue for President Ahmadinejad.  By doing business with the Iranian government the Essex House is accepting blood money from a regime that brutally suppresses its own people and that is a danger to global security.  Given that other area venues including the New York Helmsley Hotel and Gotham Hall have rejected hosting President Ahmadinejad and the Iranian delegation, the Essex House's provision of a forum for Ahmadinejad's propaganda is even more egregious."

To the extent that the Essex House persists in its plans to host President Ahmadinejad, UANI will call on members of the public to boycott Jumeirah properties.

Following UANI's campaigns last week, The Helmsley Hotel and Gotham Hall have both cancelled events in which President Ahmadinejad was scheduled to speak.

Click here to send a letter to The Essex House New York

Click here to learn how UANI has partnered with GE against doing business in Iran