Green November

Thursday, November 5, 2009
Protests in Iran

by Nasra Ismail and Biodun Iginla, BBC News, Tehran. Nasra Ismail reported from Tehran

Nov 5th 2009
From The Economist print edition
Iran's opposition takes to the streets again
AFP
THIRTY years ago, the world was mesmerised by pictures of 52 blindfolded Americans being taken hostage in their embassy in Tehran by Iranian students. This week’s anniversary provided more gripping scenes, as Iranians used the official celebration of that event to take to the streets once again, this time to protest against their own government and their country’s controversial president, Mahmoud AhmadinejadMahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose re-election in June they still hotly dispute.
The green movement, as the opposition calls itself, had held no big rally since Jerusalem Day in mid-September, when protesters turned an officially sponsored event into an anti-government one. On November 4th they did it again. Thousands came on to the streets, despite dark warnings from the authorities. There were big demonstrations in Tehran, and reports of others in provincial cities such as Arak, Isfahan, Mazandaran, Rasht, Shiraz and Tabriz. The internet hummed with tales of opposition protests, replete with videos and photographs. It was hard, however, to assess the size of the crowds.
Mehdi Karroubi, a cleric who ran for president and has since been one of the most outspoken critics of Mr Ahmadinejad’s government since his disputed re-election, made an appearance in Tehran but left swiftly as his car and guards were attacked by security forces. Other opposition leaders were unable—or were not allowed—to appear. Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is popularly thought to have really won the election, was said to have visited a cultural centre but was surrounded by security forces. Muhammad Khatami, a former reformist president who backs the opposition, was unseen. All the same, without the backing of bigwigs, the government’s foes poured on to the streets.

Death to nobody! As before, the police and the baseej, a vigilante force that backs Mr Ahmadinejad and answers to the powerful Revolutionary Guard, came out in strength too. Protesters were beaten, arrested and drenched with tear gas. Some chanted “death to the dictator”, often shouting accusations that Ayatollah Ali KhameneiAyatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was a murderer. Others, in a new twist of sloganeering, cried “Death to nobody!” At the official rallies celebrating the taking of the American hostages, American and Israeli flags were burned as usual. But footage of the opposition demonstrations shows posters of Mr Khamenei’s bearded face being stamped on.
So the image of Iran’s official leaders is still being tarnished in the lingering post-election turmoil. The protests are unlikely to bring the government down, but its legitimacy is being questioned in a way that was once unthinkable.
The top echelons of politics and the clergy are riven with dissent. The day before the celebration of the siege, Hossein Ali Montazeri, a grand ayatollah now aged 87 who was once the heir apparent of the Islamic republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah KhomeiniAyatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, said that the occupation of the American embassy in 1979 had been a mistake.
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In a statement issued on the anniversary, Barack ObamaBarack Obama said America did not wish to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs. But he stressed that, while his fist was still unclenched, the onus was on Iran to grasp it. Instead, Mr Khamenei once again lambasted America for its attitude to Iran’s nuclear programme.<br /> <br /> <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5lY29ub21pc3QuY29tL3dvcmxkL21pZGRsZWVhc3QtYWZy aWNhL2Rpc3BsYXlTdG9yeS5jZm0/c3RvcnlfaWQ9MTQ4MTk3ODcmYW1wO3Nv dXJjZT1mZWF0dXJlc19ib3hfbWFpbiUyM3RvcA== " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5lY29ub21pc3QuY29tL3dvcmxkL21pZGRsZWVhc3QtYWZy aWNhL2Rpc3BsYXlTdG9yeS5jZm0/c3RvcnlfaWQ9MTQ4MTk3ODcmYW1wO3Nv dXJjZT1mZWF0dXJlc19ib3hfbWFpbiUyM3RvcA== ">Back to top ^^</a> <br /> Readers' comments <i>The Economist</i> welcomes your views.<br /> <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5lY29ub21pc3QuY29tL3dvcmxkL21pZGRsZWVhc3QtYWZy aWNhL2Rpc3BsYXlTdG9yeS5jZm0/c3RvcnlfaWQ9MTQ4MTk3ODcmYW1wO21v ZGU9Y29tbWVudCZhbXA7aW50ZW50PXJlYWRCb3R0b20= " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5lY29ub21pc3QuY29tL3dvcmxkL21pZGRsZWVhc3QtYWZy aWNhL2Rpc3BsYXlTdG9yeS5jZm0/c3RvcnlfaWQ9MTQ4MTk3ODcmYW1wO21v ZGU9Y29tbWVudCZhbXA7aW50ZW50PXJlYWRCb3R0b20= ">View all comments (7)</a><a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5lY29ub21pc3QuY29tL3dvcmxkL21pZGRsZWVhc3QtYWZy aWNhL2Rpc3BsYXlTdG9yeS5jZm0/c3RvcnlfaWQ9MTQ4MTk3ODcmYW1wO21v ZGU9Y29tbWVudCZhbXA7aW50ZW50PXBvc3RCb3R0b20= " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5lY29ub21pc3QuY29tL3dvcmxkL21pZGRsZWVhc3QtYWZy aWNhL2Rpc3BsYXlTdG9yeS5jZm0/c3RvcnlfaWQ9MTQ4MTk3ODcmYW1wO21v ZGU9Y29tbWVudCZhbXA7aW50ZW50PXBvc3RCb3R0b20= ">Add your comment</a><br /> <br /> Posted by BiodunIginla at <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vMjAwOS8xMS9n cmVlbi1ub3ZlbWJlci5odG1s " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vMjAwOS8xMS9n cmVlbi1ub3ZlbWJlci5odG1s " rel="bookmark"><abbr>11:43 PM</abbr></a> <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ibG9nZ2VyLmNvbS9lbWFpbC1wb3N0Lmc/YmxvZ0lEPTcz MTUyODE3NzI4OTE3MTg0NyZhbXA7cG9zdElEPTcxMDM5NzQxNjA5NzE1OTcy OTI= " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ibG9nZ2VyLmNvbS9lbWFpbC1wb3N0Lmc/YmxvZ0lEPTcz MTUyODE3NzI4OTE3MTg0NyZhbXA7cG9zdElEPTcxMDM5NzQxNjA5NzE1OTcy OTI= "> </a> <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ibG9nZ2VyLmNvbS9wb3N0LWVkaXQuZz9ibG9nSUQ9NzMx NTI4MTc3Mjg5MTcxODQ3JmFtcDtwb3N0SUQ9NzEwMzk3NDE2MDk3MTU5NzI5 Mg== " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ibG9nZ2VyLmNvbS9wb3N0LWVkaXQuZz9ibG9nSUQ9NzMx NTI4MTc3Mjg5MTcxODQ3JmFtcDtwb3N0SUQ9NzEwMzk3NDE2MDk3MTU5NzI5 Mg== "> </a> Labels: <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vc2VhcmNoL2xh YmVsL2JiYyUyNTIwJTI1MjBiaW9kdW4lMjUyMGlnaW5sYQ== " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vc2VhcmNoL2xh YmVsL2JiYyUyNTIwJTI1MjBiaW9kdW4lMjUyMGlnaW5sYQ== " rel="tag">bbc biodun iginla</a>, <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vc2VhcmNoL2xh YmVsL2lyYW4= " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vc2VhcmNoL2xh YmVsL2lyYW4= " rel="tag">iran</a>, <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vc2VhcmNoL2xh YmVsL25hc3JhJTI1MjBpc21haWw= " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vc2VhcmNoL2xh YmVsL25hc3JhJTI1MjBpc21haWw= " rel="tag">nasra ismail</a> <a href="../../undefined/" mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/undefined"></a> 0 comments: <p> <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmxvZ2dlci5jb20vY29tbWVudC5nP2Jsb2dJRD03MzE1 MjgxNzcyODkxNzE4NDcmYW1wO3Bvc3RJRD03MTAzOTc0MTYwOTcxNTk3Mjky " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmxvZ2dlci5jb20vY29tbWVudC5nP2Jsb2dJRD03MzE1 MjgxNzcyODkxNzE4NDcmYW1wO3Bvc3RJRD03MTAzOTc0MTYwOTcxNTk3Mjky ">Post a Comment</a> </p> <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vMjAwOS8xMS91 bml0ZWQtcHJlc3MtaW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbC1mZWF0dXJlZC5odG1s " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vMjAwOS8xMS91 bml0ZWQtcHJlc3MtaW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbC1mZWF0dXJlZC5odG1s ">Older Post</a> <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20v " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20v ">Home</a> Subscribe to: <a href="/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vZmVlZHMvNzEw Mzk3NDE2MDk3MTU5NzI5Mi9jb21tZW50cy9kZWZhdWx0 " mce_href="http://www.allvoices.com/s/event-4561885/aHR0cDovL2Jpb2R1bi1pZ2lubGEtMi5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vZmVlZHMvNzEw Mzk3NDE2MDk3MTU5NzI5Mi9jb21tZW50cy9kZWZhdWx0 ">Post Comments (Atom)</a>