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New Munich Massacre Petition Demands IOC Observe Minute of Silence At London Olympics Closing Ceremony
By
Miranda Flint Jerusalem, Israel --- August 3, 2012 ... When the International Olympics Committee (IOC) refused to honor the victims of the 1972 Munich Massacre with a moment of silence, during the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics, many protested against the decision. In Greater New York, JCC Rockland began a petition, hoping to gain enough signatures to convince the IOC to reconsider its decision. Joel Leyden,
President of Leyden Digital
PR, noticed the petition, but, he told Jewocity, “At
first I didn’t think much of it.” There was “a
disconnect’, he said, because the massacre had taken place
40 years ago. Nevertheless, Leyden said he did some research and
re-watched the movie “21 Hours at Munich” which jogged
his memory. The JCC Rockland petition gained a great deal of support. Indeed, according to Leyden, “The JCC Rockland and relatives of the Munich 11 did a fantastic job in securing over 100,000 signatures on their petition.” Furthermore, according to The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, many high profile groups and figures joined in the campaign. Among these were US president Barack Obama, Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney and Australian Julia Gillard. The IOC, however, stood by its refusal and the Olympic ceremonies began and ended without a moment of silence. This did not deter Leyden. “I realized
that two mistakes had been made with the original petition,”
he said. However, he asked, if the IOC recognized a moment of silence during the closing ceremonies of the games, “What would the Arabs have done? Boycott?” A boycott, he said, would not matter. “They would be leaving home the next day, anyway!” So Leyden contacted the JCC Rockland and suggested that they continue with their efforts by putting pressure on the IOC to observe a moment of silence during the closing ceremony of the Olympics instead. According to Leyden, the second mistake with the original petition “was that they should have used the movie `21 Hours at Munich’ in their awareness campaign.” He said that nothing was a more powerful tool for PR than a major motion picture. Leyden also stressed the importance of perseverance in Internet campaigns. “As all media and Internet viral campaigns you start off with a handful of signatures, but if you work it non-stop with the cooperation of a few others, you can succeed,” he said, noting that he had seen this sort of success before, because he had “created the Support the IDF in Gaza Against Terrorism page on Facebook,” which he said gained “over 100,000 signatures.” Leyden said that if the new petition reached over 1,000 signatures, that he would “request the Israeli Ambassador to the UK present this petition formally to IOC President Jacques Rogge.” If Rogge continues to deny a moment of silence for the victims of the Munich massacre,” when presented with so many signatures, said Leyden “Then we will know that it was not the threat of Arabs boycotting the Olympics but rather blatant anti-Semitism.” Finally, he said, “Should we not achieve a minute of silence honoring the memories of the terror victims of the Munich Massacre at the Closing Ceremonies; we still would have kept alive their memories throughout these London Games.” The Athletes, Leyden says, “They gave their lives for Israel, for democracy and the spirit of peace for which the Olympics represent.” There is, he said, “No greater sacrifice.” The new petition, which is located at (www.change.org/petitions/international-olympic-committee-minute-of-silence-at-the-2012-london-olympics-closing-ceremony), has already gained over 100 signatures. The demand for a minute of silence at the 2012 London Olympics for the murdered Olympians is also located on Facebook and other social media.
About the
author: Miranda Flint has
a B.A. in political science and has worked over a decade as a
news reporter, financial news writer and political blogger.
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