Washington Square Park, a stones throw from Ground Zero and long a stage for Americas protest culture, became the unlikely setting Friday for a vigil honoring one of the worlds most notorious tyrants.
According to RedState, the Manhattan parkfamous for abolitionist rallies in the 1800s, antiwar protests in the 1960s, and Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the 2020splayed host this time to sympathizers of the Islamist regime that has ruled Iran with an iron fist since 1979. They gathered to mourn Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the man who presided over a theocratic police state, crushed dissent, and bankrolled terrorism across the globe until his death in joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28 during Operation Epic Fury.
For New Yorkers who still remember when you could smell the smoke and death from the Twin Towers' collapse on 9/11, the spectacle was more than provocative. It was an insult in a city where, as one commentator reminded, on 9/12, you could smell Ground Zero from Washington Square Park.
Tensions boiled over quickly. Chaos erupted in Washington Square Park in Manhattan as a vigil mourning the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei descended into violence Friday, one account noted, as opposing groups converged on the square.
Video from the scene captured the moment a man tried to tear down a poster of the dead dictator, who was killed last week in an Israeli airstrike, only to be punched in the face by a Khamenei supporter wearing a SpongeBob sweatshirt. The blow sent him sprawling to the pavement as others jumped into the fray, forcing the New York City Police Department to intervene while the crowd could be heard shouting profanity.
Independent footage underscored the ideological clash that unfolded beneath the parks iconic arch. VIDEO THREAD: Supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei showed up to mourn him at a vigil in New York City's Washington Square Park, where Trump supporters, Israel supporters, and Iranian Monarchists showed up to oppose them. A fight broke out, with one person on each side taken away, one post reported.
A fight broke out, with one person on each side taken away arrested by NYPD, the account added, highlighting how quickly the event devolved from a vigil into a street brawl. Police were soon separating combatants and restoring a semblance of order to a park that has seen nearly two centuries of political agitation.
The moral obscenity of the gathering was hard to miss. As critics pointed out, it is disturbing that so many would honor a man who has killed thousands of his own people, took a once somewhat free country into some weird modern version of the Stone Age, served as the leader of the worlds number one sponsor of terrorism, and treated women like farm animals.
What decent person would celebrate such a devilish character? one observer asked pointedly. Yet, there they were, assembled in the shadow of a skyline forever scarred by Islamist terror. The irony was not lost on those who remember Irans role in sheltering jihadists after 9/11.
Let's remember that it was Iran that harbored many of the al Qaeda leadership post-9/11.... And that on 9/12, you could smell Ground Zero from Washington Square Park, a commentator wrote, before adding, I know the Leninist terms is useful idiots, but I'm not sure these clowns are even useful to communism. That assessment captured the disgust many felt watching Americans and expatriates alike mourn a man whose regime has long chanted Death to America.
Physical confrontations multiplied as anger mounted. One man was also spotted yanking an Iranian flag out of another persons hands. NYPD officers swiftly rushed in and pulled protesters apart, cuffing those involved in the fight.
The aftermath was bloody and chaotic. One man was hauled away in cuffs with blood pouring down his forehead following the confrontation. Another man was arrested against the arch itself. A third masked protester could be seen being hurled into the back of a police cruiser.
Even those opposed to political violence acknowledged how combustible the situation was. I never advocate for people to get violent, but its certainly easy to see why this thing went south, one writer admitted, noting that to celebrate a bloodthirsty Islamic extremist in the city that saw over 3,000 die in the 9/11 tragedy was almost certainly going to provoke a reaction.
The constitutional stakes were also clear. We have a First Amendment that allows these Ayatollah acolytes to demonstrate, but that same amendment allows me to say that I find it disgusting, a critic observed, defending both the right to speak and the right to condemn speech that glorifies tyranny and terror.
The ideological confusion on display extended beyond Iran. NYC (March 6) Leftist terrorism supporters held a vigil and memorial for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, George Floyd and others in Washington Square Park, another post stated, raising eyebrows with its attempt to link a domestic criminal case to a foreign theocrat.
Question about the above tweet: what on earth does George Floyd have to do with the Iran situation? Nothing, one observer asked, capturing the sense that the modern Lefts protest culture has become a jumble of unrelated grievances. Leftists are so weird. Unhinged and dangerous, yes, but also just plain strange, a sentiment that resonates with many who see in such spectacles not principled dissent, but a reflexive embrace of Americas enemies and a disturbing indifference to the victims of Islamist violence.
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