American Awakening: Michigan activists protest anti-Islam film

On Friday, over 1,000 activists gathered in Dearborn, Michigan, to rally against free speech, protesting an online anti-Islamic video some still claim is the motivation behind protests in the Middle East.

“There is a need for deterrent legal measures against those individuals or groups that want to damage relations between people, spread hate and incite violence,” said organizer Osama Siblani.

“We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to sow the seeds of hate and discord against the religious beliefs of others,” he added.

The event comes just days after President Barack Obama told the United Nations General Assembly that the “future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam.”

The Detroit Free Press reported that Friday’s rally was “the third protest in metro Detroit over the movie, the biggest one yet.”

“Say No to Hate-Mongering, Say No to Islamophobia,” said a banner at the Ford Performing Arts & Community Center.

Among those speaking at the event were Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Richard Halloran, and civil rights leaders like Donnell White, executive director of the Detroit branch of the NAACP.

“United we stand, divided we fall,” White said. “We stand with you as our brothers and sisters.”

“We need to speak out against discrimination against Islam,” Judge Halloran said. Examiner.com