On Saturday, June 6, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) will be holding a counterprotest in Washington DC which has now MOVED to be near the Israel Embassy from 12 Noon to 3 PM. Our counterprotest will be to those organizations that have a history of supporting extremism and totalitarian ideologies, based on our support for universal human rights, as well as our rejection of the extremist Hamas terrorist organization.
We will be holding a counterprotest to the MAS and ANSWER rally, which has MOVED. MAS and ANSWER have moved the location of their rally from the Freedom Plaza to the Israeli embassy in Washington DC listed at 3514 International Dr NW, Washington, DC 20008.
R.E.A.L. has filed its revised Assembly Plan Notification with the DC Police for the outside Israel embassy with address listed as 3514 International Dr NW, Washington, DC 20008 and for the corner of International Dr. and Van Ness St. NW. As this is an embassy location, we have also notified the U.S. Secret Service.
NOTE: Check back on this web page for any further updates. See updated logistics below. Take Van Ness-UDC metro stop, use West exit, walk down one block south on Connecticut Avenue, take a right on Van Ness Street NW, and then take a left onto International Drive. We plan a pre-rally meet-up at 11:30 AM Saturday outside the Van Ness-UDC metro stop.
A. Key Messages of R.E.A.L. Rally for June 6
We have several key messages that we seek to convey to the public about the MAS/ANSWER rally:
1. As Responsible for Equality And Liberty supports universal human rights, we reject the efforts of the extremism promoted by the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliate organizations. The Muslim Brotherhood seeks to create a “Muslim World” (caliphate/Khilafa). We believe there is ONE world, called Earth – with equal rights and liberty for all humanity – for every race, nationality, gender. The Muslim Brotherhood seeks to implement Sharia law. We seek freedom for all – regardless of religion, race, or sex – and oppose Sharia’s gender apartheid and war on women. The Muslim Brotherhood seeks to impose Islam on all; we believe humanity has freedom of conscience and religion.
2. In Washington DC, the Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation has written the Washington Post about the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence on MAS. You can see this on their website today. According to the former president of MAS, Esam Omeish: “The influence of Muslim Brotherhood ideas has been instrumental in defining our understanding of Islam within the American and Western context in order to espouse the values of human dialogue, tolerance and moderation.” Also according to former MAS president Esam Omeish: “It also has been instrumental in defining our worldviews of justice and human rights.” This influence of the Muslim Brotherhood on the “MAS Freedom Foundation” remains unequivocally stated on the MAS website. We believe that human dialogue, tolerance, and moderation begins with rejecting all supremacist organizations, including the extremist Muslim Brotherhood, and that supremacist organizations never teach tolerance or moderation. We believe that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of Liberty defines our worldview of the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty for all — that supremacist groups deny. We believe without such universal equality and liberty, freed from supremacist restraints, there will never be justice, nor will all of humanity have human rights.
3. Therefore, when the MAS Freedom Foundation seeks to hold a public rally in what appears to be an attempt to gain public sympathy for the control of Gaza by the Hamas extremist terrorist organization, which has had a history of using human shields against people in Gaza (video of Hamas admitting to this), we ask Americans to look at what the MAS Freedom Foundation really believes in – based on what they say, and based on how they state the extremist Muslim Brotherhood has influenced their values. Furthermore, as individuals responsible for equality and liberty, we reject the Hamas charter which includes the antisemitic lie of the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” that was popularized by Adolf Hitler in his Nazi propaganda.
4. In one recent report by the Jerusalem Post, “Members of a Gaza family whose farm was turned into a ‘fortress’ by Hamas fighters have reported that they were helpless to stop Hamas from using them as human shields. They told the official Palestinian Authority daily newspaper that for years Hamas had used their property and homes as military installations from which the group would launch rockets into Israel, dig tunnels and store arms. According to the victims, those who tried to object were shot in the legs by Hamas operatives.” We object to all violations of human rights. This commitment to human rights includes our condemnation of the actions by the Hamas terrorist group against other Muslims.
5. Our commitment to universal human rights also includes our unwavering resistance to Communist totalitarian ideologies. As Responsible for Equality And Liberty also rejects Communist China’s continuing oppression of its citizens, we reject all organizations that would appease and given influence to supporters to the ideology of Communism. We do not accept totalitarianism of any kind, whether it is Communism, Nazism, fascism, or extremism — as a “right-wing” or “left-wing” issue. Moreover, we oppose those who seek to diminish such threats to human freedom by providing such inaccurate and polarizing labels. Communist totalitarianism is not a “leftist” threat; it is a threat to universal human rights. So we find it doubly offensive to universal human rights to see that the A.N.S.W.E.R. organization is associated with the MAS rally. Disguising itself as an anti-war organization, A.N.S.W.E.R. has long deceived its concerned members by concealing its long history of its leaders promoting Communist and Stalinist ideologies, such as Brian Becker, who is shown in a video representing A.N.S.W.E.R. on its web site in a recent C-SPAN Washington Journal interview. A.N.S.W.E.R. currently lists the Marxist organization “Party for Socialism and Liberation” as part of its Steering Committee on its home page web site. We object to groups whose leaders and steering committee members support Communist totalitarianism deceiving the public with their calls for public sympathy for the Hamas terrorist group control of Gaza.
6. Very important note: Our responsibility for equality and liberty also includes our responsibility for human dignity, including responsible counterprotest and respect with those whom we disagree. This is part of our commitment to universal human rights. For those who do not share such commitment to universal human rights and respect for all human beings, even those with whom with disagree, we do not welcome you to our rally. Our goal is to provide a reasonable, responsible, peaceful, and respectful alternative to those who call for supremacism and defy universal human rights. We will not tolerate those who join our rally that use our efforts for anything other such peaceful, respectful support for such universal human rights.
B. Rally Plans And Logistics:
Date: Saturday, June 6
Time: 12 Noon to 3 PM (tentative) – if the other rally breaks up before 3 PM, we will also.
Location: Outside Israel embassy with address listed as 3514 International Dr NW, Washington, DC 20008
Nearby Washington DC metro stops: Van Ness-UDC metro stop
Pre-Event Meetup: 11:30 AM – outside of the Van Ness-UDC metro stop
Contact: Jeffrey Imm, realpublic@earthlink.net
Image of Israel Embassy Area:
Getting There and Travel Logistics:
It is recommended that rally attendees come by the Washington subway (”metro”) system to the Van Ness-UDC metro stop and walk over to the embassy. The parking near the embassies specifically states that such parking is by permit only. However, there are public parking facilities on nearby Connecticut Avenue NW and Veazey Terrace NW a block north of the Van Ness-UDC metro stop as an alternative. Details on the subway and parking options are provided in the following paragraphs.
Getting There by Subway
Take the DC subway red line (subway trip planner) to the Van Ness-UDC metro stop. For context, the Van-Ness UDC metro stop is three stops north of Dupont Circle and two stops north of the Zoo. So it is just a few minutes away from the center of the subway, Metro Center. Once arriving at the Van Ness-UDC metro stop, then following these walking directions:
VAN NESS-UDC METRO STATION to INTERNATIONAL DR NW:
1. Exit station through WEST SIDE OF CONNETICUT AVE NW & VEAZY ST entrance.
2. Walk approx. 1 block SE on Connecticut Ave NW.
3. Turn right on Van Ness St NW.
4. Walk approx. 1 block W on Van Ness St NW.
5. Turn left on International Dr NW.
6. Walk a short distance S on International Dr NW.
7. Turn right on International Pl NW.
8. Walk approx. 1 block W on International Pl NW.
Getting There by Car:
The embassy “courtyard” of International Drive can be reached by driving towards Connecticut Avenue NW, then turning onto Van Ness Street NW, and then from Van Ness Street NW you are able to turn onto either International Place or International Drive. The embassy address is 3514 International Dr NW, Washington, DC 20008. Remember the parking by the embassy is by permit only, as previously mentioned.
In terms of parking, we found that if go up Connecticut about half a block from the Van Ness-UDC metro stop (4201 Connecticut Avenue), that there is parking on the right of Connecticut Avenue going North when you turn right onto Veazey Terrace NW. There is a public parking lot called the Van Ness Center parking lot that is next to a Giant food store. The Van Ness Center lot is run by Landmark Parking, and it shows an address of 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, but my GPS said that it was 3046 Veazey Terrace NW. (There is also another lot advertised on that block of Connecticut Avenue next to an “Embassy Cleaners.”)
Walking back down the Connecticut Avenue from the parking lot exit, you will see a Pizza Hut, Jerry’s Sub shop and Bank of America on the corner. Then basically follow the walking directions from the Van Ness-UDC Metro stop above.