Ads in New York City subway stations referring to Jihad as 'savage,' paid for by Pam Geller's American Freedom Defense Initiative, have been plastered by New Yorkers with stickers reading 'racist' or 'hate speech.'

Stickers appeared on ads paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative. (photo: IMEU)

New Yorkers Plaster 'Racist' Stickers Over Islamophobic Subway Ads

By Ben Armbruster, Think Progress

26 September 12

fter the anti-American protests erupted in the Middle East earlier this month, Pam Geller’s American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) decided to re-up its anti-Muslim ad campaign in New York’s subway system. The ad, borrowing from an Ayn Rand quote, is meant to imply that Muslims are savages.

New York City transit authorities did not want to display the ads but a federal court said refusing the ads would violate AFDI’s First Amendment rights. But now that the ads are up, New Yorkers are taking matters into their own hands, writing “RACIST” and “HATE SPEECH” over the ads in certain subway stations:

AFDI is trying to run a similar campaign in the Washington DC Metro but authorities there have so far been successful at blocking the campaign “out of a concern for public safety.”

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+42 # cesar 2012-09-26 08:20

this article brought a big smile to this old face. :) bravo New Yorkers, bravo.

+30 # Jim Rocket 2012-09-26 08:38

I wonder if there is a possibility for the Transit system to put their own stickers on the ads ie. "Does not meet our standards but forced to post" kind of thing.

+6 # Activista 2012-09-26 10:50

Who is paying/pushing these pro War - pro Israel propaganda?

+9 # Glen 2012-09-26 09:14

Damn I'm glad I live where this doesn't happen. It would be more than I could do to stop myself from overlaying something worse than "racist" on the posters.

+15 # mayordoug 2012-09-26 09:38

It is entirely within the 1st Amendment for this group to post their hate. It is WONDERFUL that is is being repudiated by the masses for the mindless hatred it is.

+6 # Eduardo3 2012-09-26 15:55

It is within the 1st Amendment to express hate. But the public agency whose space is being utilized has every right to put limits on the types of ads they accept--just as any private newspaper can, and does.

+5 # ghostperson 2012-09-26 10:26

The enemy is hatred for its own sake.

+3 # Glen 2012-09-26 11:30

That is so true, ghost. Always has been, always will be. A shame it is not always recognized for what it is.

-5 # anti-savage 2012-09-26 11:19

Why does anyone think the ad "is meant to imply that Muslims are savages"? It's pretty clear to me that it is calling jihadists savages. Are all muslims jihadists? That's a pretty racist idea!

By the way, what "race" is muslim?

+7 # LeeBlack 2012-09-26 11:50

Every time we categorize people as belonging to a certain group we take away our ability to see the individuals. Not all Arabs are Muslims; not all Muslims are jihadists, not all American Southerners are segregationists . This would be like saying all Americans are Protestants.

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