In a recent action alert (12/2/03), FAIR pointed out that New York Times international affairs columnist Thomas Friedman had unfairly criticized anti-Bush protestors in London (11/30/03). Friedman claimed that protesters had nothing to say about the bombings of British targets in Istanbul, which were carried out on the same day as the protest: “Sorry, but there is something morally obtuse about holding an antiwar rally on a day when your own people have been murdered– and not even mentioning it or those who perpetrated it,” Friedman wrote.
But speakers at the rally held in conjunction with the march did address the bombings in their speeches, describing them as the predictable results of Bush/Blair policies. And news accounts– including one in the Times– indicated that the day’s violence was very much on the minds of protesters in London.
After hundreds of activists wrote to the Times to express concern over this inaccuracy, Friedman wrote the following response at the end of his December 7 column:
“In my Nov. 30 column, I wrote about standing on a sidewalk in London and watching with dismay the protest parade go by– focused entirely on Tony Blair and George Bush, with no signs or chants mentioning the atrocities perpetrated by Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein– or even the murderous bombing in Istanbul that day. Readers wrote that at the public rally following the march, some speakers did decry the events in Istanbul. I’m glad to hear it.”
FAIR appreciates that Friedman devoted space to addressing the concerns of the hundreds of FAIR activists who wrote to the New York Times about the column’s inaccuracy. Thanks to all who took part in this effort.
