AFDI and 9/11 Parents & Families of Firefighters & WTC Victims to hold Memorial and Press Conference at Ground Zero on 9/11

NEW YORK, Aug. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The human rights organization the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and 9/11 Parents & Families of Firefighters & WTC Victims are holding a joint press conference and memorial service at Ground Zero in New York City on September 11, 2013, the twelfth anniversary of the 9/11 jihad terror attacks.

The memorial and press conference will begin at 1PM at the southwest corner of Zucotti Park, at Church and Cedar streets in lower Manhattan.

The press conference will be hosted by AFDI's Executive Pamela Geller and Associate Director Robert Spencer. Featured speakers will be Sally Regenhard and Rosaleen Talon of 9/11 Parents & Families of Firefighters & WTC Victims.

Sally and Sgt. Al Regenhard, a retired NYPD officer and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, are the parents of firefighter Christian Regenhard, also a Marine veteran, who was killed on 9/11.

Rosaleen Tallon is the sister of firefighter Sean Tallon, who was also killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Geller said in a statement: "The Million Muslim March on 9/11 in Washington is an attempt to obscure the reality of what happened on 9/11, portray Muslims as victims, and intimidate government and law enforcement officials into ending surveillance of suspected jihadists. Our memorial and press conference puts the focus back where it should be: on the victims of 9/11, and our need to be vigilant in the face of the ongoing jihad threat."

The press conference will advocate for the honorable and respectful interment of unidentified 9/11 human remains at Ground Zero – not inside the Museum, as planned. Nearly a decade ago, 9/11 families were promised in writing by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) in 2003 that these remains would be located in a "separate and distinct repository – separate from any museum or visitor center." But city officials and the Museum directors reneged on that promise, and plan to place 9,000 unidentified remains 70 feet (seven stories) below ground – where their relatives will be charged $25 admission to visit.

Regenhard said: "The 'pay to grieve' 9/11 museum is a national disgrace. 9/11 family members never wanted a billion-dollar money pit. All we hoped for was a simple, uplifting, honorable and patriotic memorial for all who were lost that terrible September day. Instead, those who want to pay their respects will have to pay Bloomberg & Co."

The press conference will also address the non-patriotic theme of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, including the absence of American flags on the site (there is only one flag at the site, and that one was originally put up by construction workers and then moved to the edge of the site where it can barely be seen at all). This is consistent with the initial rejection by National September 11 Memorial and Museum creative director Michael Shulan's initial rejection of the iconic flag-raising photo in the Museum, complaining that it was "too rah-rah American."

Press conference speakers will also note the fact that the photos of the 9/11 jihad terrorists, plus their martyrdom quotes, will be prominently displayed in the Museum, while information on the victims will be in a kiosk, much less prominently displayed. The victims' photos will be twelve feet above the floor on one wall (3,000-plus photos), while those of the 19 jihadis will have their own wall, with their murderous statements and artifacts at eye level.

Geller concluded: "We will be calling upon the federal government to take over the administration of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. It should be a national museum. 9/11 family members should not have to pay $25 to visit the remains of 9,000 victims deep underground."

AFDI stands for:

• The freedom of speech – as opposed to Islamic prohibitions of "blasphemy" and "slander," which are used effectively to quash honest discussion of jihad and Islamic supremacism;
• The freedom of conscience – as opposed to the Islamic death penalty for apostasy;
• The equality of rights of all people before the law – as opposed to Sharia's institutionalized discrimination against women and non-Muslims.

Join the AFDI Facebook page here.

For more information, contact Pamela Geller at [email protected].

SOURCE American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI)