February 12, 2003	Wednesday	Zul Hijjah 10, 1423

NEW YORK, Feb 11: A US judge on Monday refused to allow antiwar demonstrators to march on United Nations headquarters on Saturday citing safety concerns in “this time of heightened security.”

Over 100,000 people are expected to come into the city to hold one of the largest protest rallies against war. The protest is being organized by United for Peace and Justice, a coalition that is sponsoring rallies throughout the world on Saturday.

Denying the appeal to march, the US District Judge Barbara S. Jones observed that demonstrators’ First Amendment rights were not violated by the city’s decision to confine the protest to a plaza near the UN complex.

“The city’s restriction on marching is not a restriction on pure speech, but rather a restriction on the manner in which plaintiff may communicate its message,” Jones wrote.

The United coalition has now filed an appeal Monday in federal court, where the case is expected to be heard on Tuesday or Wednesday, said Chris Dunn, a lawyer with the New York Civil Liberties Union.

“We are outraged that Judge Jones did not see fit to uphold our fundamental constitutional right of the people to engage in peaceful marches. It is yet another example of the damage that is being done to our constitutional democracy in a post 9-11 environment,” said Leslie Cagan, a leader of the coalition.

In her ruling, Judge Jones noted that the United Nations was “uniquely sensitive among locations in New York City because of its function, our country’s treaty obligations and its history as a terrorist target.”

She said that since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the city has banned all demonstrations, parades or other public events in front of the United Nations.

“This policy is all inclusive, makes no reference to the content of the regulated speech and does not distinguish between event organizers or their views,” she said.