UANI Condemns Warwick Following Ahmadinejad Departure, Calls on All New York City Hotels to Deny Accommodations to Iranian Delegation in Future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 27, 2012 Contact: Nathan Carleton, press@uani.com  Phone: (212) 554-3296 UANI Condemns Warwick Following Ahmadinejad Departure, Calls on All New York City Hotels to Deny Accommodations to Iranian Delegation in Future New York, NY - On Thursday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Executive Director, David Ibsen, issued the following statement regarding the Warwick Hotel and its General Manager Drew Schlesinger: The Warwick Hotel was widely condemned this week and clearly suffered severe reputational harm for its decision to host Ahmadinejad and the Iranian delegation. New Yorkers and other visitors staying at the Warwick were forced to endure repeated disruptions and security complications due to the Warwick's absurd decision to essentially sublet its hotel to the Iranian regime. The Warwick and Mr. Schlesinger clearly placed profit over principle, yet we expect that the costs to the Warwick in negative publicity, damage to the brand and lost business from an outraged public will ultimately far surpass the revenue collected from the Iranian regime. No legitimate hotel or venue would willfully subject its guests to repeated searches and pat downs, or create a situation where guests would be physically accosted in the lobby by aggressive Iranian security officers. The Warwick's greed had other significant ramifications for the public. NYPD and U.S. Secret Service were forced to provide security at the Warwick at significant U.S. taxpayer expense. We call on all New York City hotels to bear in mind the negative publicity and reputational harm borne by the Warwick as a result of its decision and think twice before accepting any future invitation from Ahmadinejad or other Iranian regime officials. This week, UANI was headquartered inside the Warwick Hotel, and led demonstrations outside including signs, bicycle and truck billboards, and activities. UANI's campaign has been covered by CNN (here and here), the Associated Press, Reuters, Inside Edition, BTR Pulse, USA TODAY, The Christian Science Monitor, the New York Daily News (here and here), the Times of Israel, PIX 11 News, Fox 5 News, CBN News, CBS 880 Radio, Agence France Presse, 1010 WINS Radio, and the New York Post (here, here, here), as well as by local television stations in Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and radio stations in Georgia, Maryland, and New York. Click here, here, and here to view photos of UANI's Warwick protest. Click here to view UANI's truck billboard live in Manhattan. Click here to view a photo of the UANI billboard live in Times Square. Click here to view the bicycle billboards live at the Warwick. Click here to send a message to the Warwick. Click here to learn more about UANI's Warwick campaign.    ###  United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran should concern every American and be unacceptable to the community of nations. Since 1979 the Iranian regime, most recently under President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's leadership, has demonstrated increasingly threatening behavior and rhetoric toward the US and the West. Iran continues to defy the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations in their attempts to monitor its nuclear activities. A number of Arab states have warned that Iran's development of nuclear weapons poses a threat to Middle East stability and could provoke a regional nuclear arms race. In short, the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran is a danger to world peace. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons. The Objectives of United Against a Nuclear Iran Inform the public about the nature of the Iranian regime, including its desire and intent to possess nuclear weapons, as well as Iran's role as a state sponsor of global terrorism, and a major violator of human rights at home and abroad; Heighten awareness nationally and internationally about the danger that a nuclear armed Iran poses to the region and the world; Mobilize public support, utilize media outreach, and persuade our elected leaders to voice a robust and united American opposition to a nuclear Iran; Lay the groundwork for effective US policies in coordination with European and other allies; Persuade the regime in Tehran to desist from its quest for nuclear weapons, while striving not to punish the Iranian people, and; Promote efforts that focus on vigorous national and international, social, economic, political and diplomatic measures. UANI is led by an advisory board of outstanding national figures representing all sectors of our country.

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