No incidents reported at Terry Jones protest in Dearborn
Anti-Islam pastor returned to Dearborn "to protest the bullying of non-Muslim students."
Terry Jones and Wayne Sapp walk up to Edsel Ford High School in Dearborn on Oct. 10, 2012.
(Photo Credit: Ian Kushnir of Dearborn Dexter)
By TROY A. BLEVINS, Webmaster
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There were no arrests at a protest held by pastor Terry Jones at Edsel Ford High School last Wednesday, according to Dearborn police.
Jones, the anti-Islam pastor of Gainesville, Fla., returned to Dearborn “to protest the bullying of non-Muslim students,” according to a press release from Stand Up America Now on behalf of Jones.
Dearborn Patch reports there were only a handful of Jones’ supporters at the protest.
A small group of counter-protesters, including some from southeast Michigan-based activist group By Any Means Necessary, were also present.
The Dearborn Police Department had released a statement prior to the protest, responding to the many concerns of residents.
Part of Dearborn Chief of Police Ronald Haddad’s message reads “Despite the challenges presented by Mr. Jones’ previous visits, the Dearborn Police Department’s primary mission is to ensure that the 22,300 children attending Dearborn schools experience an uneventful, safe, and productive school day.”
Click to view more photos from Wednesday’s protest on Dearborn Patch.
In 2010, Jones had gained worldwide criticism by threatening to burn the Quran. He again threatened to burn the Quran in 2011, and executed his threat on March 20, 2011.
The fallout from these two events led to protests in Afghanistan that, according to PressTV, resulted in at least 30 deaths and 150 injuries.
Even though the protests were attributed to the burning, Jones told the Michigan Journal in February he did not feel responsible for them.
“I don’t think we caused it – we don’t feel responsible for it,” said Jones.
On Thursday, Jones said he and his co-pastor, Wayne Sapp, were denied entry into Canada while on their way to Toronto for a rally called Canadians United Against Terror.
According to the Detroit News, the Canada Border Services Agency told them they were denied entry because they had an arrest record from last year, when the two had refused to take out a peace bond to protest in front of a Dearborn mosque. Additionally, Jones had been denied as well due to an incident relating to a disputed honorary doctorate in Germany.
“There is a lot of fear and intimidation when you talk about (Islam),” Jones told the Detroit News. “If it was someone else coming through Canada, it would not have been a problem.”
Earlier this year in April, Jones led a demonstration in front of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn. Dearborn Patch said the protest also took place without incident.
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