By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — A delegation from the United Nations visiting Westport for the 59th annual “jUNe Day” celebration Saturday on Jesup Green was greeted by a silent protest against what organizers contend is the international agency’s anti-Israeli bias in the wake of Hamas attacks on Israel last Oct. 7.

The protest, planned by the groups Strength for Israel and End Jew Hatred, drew about 100 people silently holding signs criticizing the United Nations, with slogans like: “267 DAYS HOSTAGES HAVE BEEN HELD BY HAMAS WHILE THE UN HAS DONE NOTHING,” and “UNITED AGAINST BIAS: FAIR TREATMENT FOR ISRAEL.”

During remarks welcoming the UN visitors, First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker said that Westport is a town where free speech is welcome, and praised the protestors for their “civility.” In this community, “We have a sense of civility,” she said.

Tooker also noted that members of the Westport community “experienced deep pain” as a result of the attacks on Israel and the ongoing conflict.

In a statement sent to the Westport Journal, the protestors said: “We are angry about the UN’s egregious bias against Israel and the fact that our tax dollars are being used to host representatives of the United Nations, particularly this year, after the horrific events of October 7, and the consistently glaring antisemitic/anti-Israel efforts to delegitimize the only Jewish state … We are Westporters … the UN is a highly politically divisive organization and inviting their employees to our town for a day in the sun is simply no longer acceptable to us.”

Members of United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut, many of whom have volunteered for jUNe Day for decades, and the UN guests themselves, said the UN stands for free speech.

The event was established by the late Ruth Steinkraus Cohen, founder of the area chapter of the United Nations Association, to provide visitors from the United Nations a day of local hospitality with a variety of activities. The event was chosen to coincide with signing the United Nations charter on June 26, 1945.

In salute to jUNe Day, flags from nearly 200 nations were unfurled from the Post Road bridge spanning the Saugatuck River, which now bears Cohen’s name.

“I think everyone should have the right to protest,” said Elizabeth Joyce, section chief for the UN’s Americas and Asia Pacific Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, a guest attending jUNe Day for the first time.

Bill Hass, president of the UN Association of Southwestern Connecticut and a former staffer for the UN’s Press and Media Relations Department, said “Everybody has a right to free speech.” He added, however, “The UN is very careful to respect the rights of every country … jUNe Day is a day of hospitality.”

Michaela MacColl, chair of the event for 22 years, agreed. “The UN stands for democracy, but I don’t think it was the most hospitable thing to do,” she said of the protesters.

The welcome speeches for jUNe Day included a message from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called for “peace, sustainability and human rights for all. Together, we can build a better future for everyone.”

After the speeches, protestors dispersed silently.

The jUNe Day welcome was held in partnership with the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club, which was hosting its “Great Duck Race” on the green Saturday.

The combined events attracted crowds to Jesup Green, with activities for children set up by both organizations and booths featuring crafts and other items for sale. A new addition this year was a marketplace offering sustainable items made by groups that aid refugees and other nonprofit organizations.

After the welcome, the UN visitors set out to enjoy a range of activities across Westport, including a tour of Earthplace, tennis and golf at Longshore, a visit to Compo Beach, a soccer game between a UN team and an adult Westport team, and a trip to Wakeman Town Farm. 

The UN guests were also invited by Tooker to stroll the downtown area, where weekend-long sidewalk sales are taking place, and to visit shops and restaurants.

UN visitor Mieko Ikegame, who has held several positions with the organization, said a visit to Westport on an earlier jUNe Day prompted her to move to Connecticut with her husband, Takao Shibata, a member of the Japanese mission to the UN.

“This is how we ended up buying a home here,” she said, motioning to activities set up for the celebration.

Jennifer Bramlette, the legal coordinator for the Department of Information and Technology for the UN’s Counter-Terrorism Committee, said she was impressed by the amount of work that volunteers for the local United Nations Association chapter and Sunrise Rotary Club gave to planning all the activities.

“What a feat of organization and such dedication of the volunteers,” she said. “It’s very rewarding for everyone.”

“Hospitality is in our DNA,” MacColl said of the Westport community’s welcome for the UN visitors.

Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.