As
UN Silent
on Occupy Wall
Street, Ban
Added B of A
Chair to His
Energy
Group
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 13 --
On protests
taking place
less then 100
blocks
south of the
UN, Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon has
had no comment
for
ten days.
Back on October
3, Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
if there was
any UN comment
on the arrest
of 700
non-violent
protesters.
No, Nesirky
said, "I don’t
have
anything
immediate for
you. If I get
something then
I would
certainly
let you know."
The
UN has said
nothing since.
On October 11,
Inner City
Press reported
on an Occupy
Wall Street
action
targeting Bank
of America
largely for
its
involvement in
funding
mountain top
removal coal
mining.
Click here
for video
from Inner
City Press.
Protest
of Bank of
America across
from Zuccotti
Park, (c)
MRLee
On October
13, Inner City
Press asked
Nesirky why
Ban had, only
on September
20,
2011,
named Bank
of American
chairman
Charles O.
Holliday Jr.
to the UN's
High
Level Group on
Sustainable
Energy Access.
Video here,
from Minute
41:18.
Was
Ban aware of
the mountain
top coal
mining issues
at Holliday's
Bank of
America? What
does Ban think
of mountain
top removal?
Nesirky's
response
was that Ban
took part in a
conference in
Norway about
sustainable
energy. Inner
City Press
asked for a
response to
the critique
that
Ban naming
Holliday to
the UN
position was
inconsistent
with
sustainable
energy, given
Bank of
America's
record. Video
here,
from
Minute 43:40.
Holliday
of Bank of
America to
left of Ban
- reflecting
badly on both?
"I
heard you
the first
time," Nesikry
said. But did
he? The
request for UN
comment on
Occupy Wall
Street was
made by Inner
City Press ten
days
ago. Is Ban
Ki-moon's UN
blind?
Ban's UN
certainly
doesn't like
to answer
questions. Consider:
Ban
Ki-Moon
doesn't deign
to talk about
pop stars. On
Saturday, the
United
Nations'
secretary
general
observed the
20th
anniversary of
South Korea's
admission to
the UN with a
press
reception at
its consulate
on E. 45th St.
Among the
guests were
some Korean
pop acts,
including DBSK
and 4 Minute.
Ban thanked
them for
coming and
accepted a CD
from one
artist, but
his
receptiveness
did not extend
to what we
think was a
legit question
about his
teeny bopper
guests. When
The News'
David Yi asked
Ban why it was
important for
the acts to be
there, he
reports the UN
chief turned
away and three
of his
handlers
"pushed" him
aside. "How
dare you ask a
question like
that to the UN
secretary
general?" said
one.
Seriously?
[Click here,
last item.]
Inner
City Press has
twice asked
the UN to
confirm or
deny, and
which security
was involved:
South Korean
mission
security? No
answer at all.
Footnote:
After
just returning
from Norway,
Denmark and
Sweden, Ban
head
tonight to
Washington for
President
Obama's
reception for
South
Korea's
president.
Then Ban head
to
Switzerland.
Will
protesters
catch up with
him?
, 
