Outside the UN, protesters gathered to rally around several different causes. Hundreds turned out to protest President Bush’s speech. The rally included a mock demonstration of a waterboarding. Matthis Chiroux of Iraq Veterans Against the War took part in the protest.

Matthis Chiroux: “People need to understand that waterboarding is torture, and it doesn’t matter who you’re doing it to, it doesn’t matter under what conditions you’re doing it, it is torture. It can be lethal, and it should be banned in any democratic society.”

Meanwhile, more than a thousand people turned out to protest Ahmadinejad’s speech. Iranian Canadian activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam said Iranians had turned out to show the world Ahmadinejad doesn’t represent them.

Nazanin Afshin-Jam: “Today we’ve organized the Ahmadinejad wall of shame rally, and we’re trying to bring attention to the world community that Ahmadinejad does not represent the people of Iran, and we have true voices of Iranians speaking today about the human rights abuses that are taking place in the country.”

Nearby, more than a hundred people turned out to protest the Chinese delegation over its crackdown on the Tibetan independence movement. Tenzin Dorjee of Students for a Free Tibet helped organize the rally.

Tenzin Dorjee: “All the amount of spinning can still not hide the ugly reality of China’s human rights record, China’s brutal occupation of Tibet and their continuing crackdown in Tibet.”