Farhad Khoiee-Abbasi

Farhad Khoiee-Abbasi protests in Chicago's Daley Plaza, across the street from City Hall.

Farhad Khoiee-Abbasi is a Middle-Eastern public protester who has become known in Chicago as "the FBI sign guy," and sometimes as simply "The Sign Guy". He has also gone on self-imposed hunger strikes.

Background

In 2006, Khoiee-Abbasi began standing outside of Chicago City Hall, holding a sign that read "FBI Agent Chris Saviano, stop raping my wife!" Soon, he added other signs to his board, most of which denounce Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and George W. Bush, and make a number of odd statements in broken English. He stands outside of city hall every weekday, from about 6:00am until about 3:00pm. He has also been photographed holding his signs on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., and in New York's Times Square.

Coverage

Little is known about Khoiee-Abbasi beyond his physical appearance (a groomed, well-dressed man who always wears expensive suits and ties), the information on his signs, from flyers he passes out from time to time, and what court documents say about him. It is known that he was involved in extended and contentious divorce proceedings. He generally remains silent when questioned by anyone. He has also used signs asking Barack Obama to spare his only child.

Khoiee-Abbasi has become a popular fixture among photographers on flickr, and in blogs.