Jun 20 2009

Iran Police Open Fire On Crowds Defying Protest Ban

( – promoted by buhdydharma )

From BBC Persian/Iran:
From BBC UK/Middle East 5 days ago:

As demonstrations against the Iranian election result continue, the situation in Tehran is becoming unpredictable and potentially explosive.

Throughout Sunday, crowds gathered in a number of areas. Often they were not organised protests.

In traffic jams, car drivers hooted their horns in opposition to the government. Crowds stood on the pavement, chanting and showing v-signs.

In some places, the police were out in force. Some of them were in full riot gear. Others charged into action on the back of motorbikes.

[snip]

Many Iranians came out on to their roofs to shout “down with the dictator”.

It has become a challenge not just of an election result, not just to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei himself.

That means it is, in effect, a challenge to the whole basis of the Islamic Republic.

For two years I have watched as young, ambitious Iranians go about their lives with growing frustration.

They feel the system stifles their aspirations. Now they feel that their intelligence and their pride has been insulted by an election result many Iranians believe is blatantly fraudulent.

And President Ahmadinejad’s almost casual dismissal of their complaints just adds to the anger.

41 comments

Skip to comment form

    • Edger on June 20, 2009 at 20:23
      Author
    • #
    for the suggestion to use a green background in support of the Iranian protestors.

    Their plight and their courage hits very close to home…

  2. dumped on protesters from helicopters. Some thought acid, others said boiling water, others speculated that it was non-aerosolized tear gas (which seems most likely to me).

    It appears that the security forces tried to preempt the big downtown gathering, and when they couldn’t, dispersed the crowd using the helicopters.  May have proved counterproductive as the very angry protesters then dispersed all over the city and are now clashing piecemeal  (often successfully it appears) with smaller groups of enforcement personnel.

    Many warnings to protesters about going to the hospitals, which are described as traps.  Other stories of phony ambulances with security troops inside.

    European and Australian embassies in Tehran are reportedly taking in the wounded, although Canadian and US embassies remain closed to protesters.

    Stories of uprisings in many cities outside Tehran.

    Mousavi saying he prepared to be a martyr, calls for general strike if he is arrested.

    CNN sucks.

    • Inky99 on June 20, 2009 at 20:46
    • #

    I just don’t understand that.



  4. Statement from the President on Iran

    The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.

    As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.

    Martin Luther King once said – “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.

    link

  5. If you need any more just goto http://persianq.com/  Seems to have all the days happenings playing.

    • Viet71 on June 21, 2009 at 00:22
    • #

    The Hungarian people rose up and threw off their corrupt and incompetent soviet stooges.

    They thought the U.S. would intervene to save their revolution.

    The U.S. didn’t.

    The soviets sent in tanks, crushed the revolution, and butchered (literally) thousands.

    The situation ion Iran is much different, but I get the idea the protesters hope for U.S. intervention.  Why else carry signs in English?

    I hope this doesn’t end badly for the Iranian people, but I fear it will.

  7. a people not engrossed,consumed by electronic propaganda media.

    • rb137 on June 21, 2009 at 03:55
    • #

    Photobucket

  9. Far less sheeple-ized by the electronic propaganda media we here in the United States “enjoy”.

    After we here in the United States have a solid three elections behind us with nary a blip on the zombinal radar.

    • RUKind on June 21, 2009 at 06:33
    • #

    Could you pass the Doritoros? BTW, how come all the Cuban exiles wear white shirts, black pants and the cops let them right into the recounts room in MiamiDade? Intimidation? Hey, this is America? Any more guacamole?

    John Boy it stolen right out from under him in Ohio in 2004. The player is finally ready to testify on each and every IP packet but whoops he dies in  single engine, single occupant crash the day before he’s supposed to testify. Let’s check the cable guide. this stuff is too complex and boring.

    But IRAN – AXIS OF EVIL IRAN – actually take this democracy stuff a hell of a lot lmre seriously than we do. They’re willing to get out in the street and die for it.

    WTF!?!?!?!?

  11. I’m becoming quite concerned about some of the news coverage on this.

    CNN is not barring any graphic details – in a spectacularly sensationalist manner.

    One pundit has drawn similarities to Rwanda – and most all pundits have subtle inferences to U.S. intervention.

    My heart goes out to the Iran people. I commend their willingness to put their lives at stake for their beliefs.

    But, I do not want a handful of defense industry/oil speculative special interest groups driving our government to intervene in a conflict that would be detrimental to us and to the people of Iran.

Comments have been disabled.