By Kamand Saba, Tehran

I got back from work and changed into something light as I had agreed to meet up with a few friends to go for another Walk.  This time the Walk was to be from Tajrish Square to the railway station, 20km along the length of Valiasr Avenue.

We met up and started down the road from the Parkway crossing towards Vanak Square.  There were people walking on both sides, but it was nothing like the previous peaceful silent walks around Tehran.  One strange thing was that there were so many Basiji, riot police and normal police, on the bridges and on both sides of the street; it was rather sadly funny more than anything else.  What was intriguing was that many men and women, young and old, tried to talk to the 'officers'.  On the main road there were large groups of extra officers ready to step in.  Valiasr Avenue was busy but in a different way than normal.  The awful traffic was there, but there was a big difference.  Nobody was in a rush and the drivers were all patient and tolerant, which is most unusual for Tehrani drivers.  There was a special look on people's faces.  There was a sense of solidarity.  We got to Vanak Square which was filled up with police in riot gear and everybody was looking at them, thinking why, why?

We were very tired and hot so we got into a taxi and came back up north, but the traffic was jam packed and when we got to Parkway Bridge which was fully covered by riot police it was about 7 PM and everybody for about 10-15 minutes started to honk their horns.  When we got to Tajrish, I saw a man on the streets with many officers gathered around him being nasty and unkind.  I saw that his crime was his very thick long hair! Before that I had noticed several people with their belongings being checked.

Many people here were a little down last week, even tired; but the weekend had helped them to regroup and build up their energy.  They now remember that the silent majority Iranians have found themselves and their hopes and aspirations and for the first time there is a bridge between those who remained here like us and those who left their homeland but who still breathe its air and dream of its blue sky and earth.

 

Today I saw hundreds of  my brothers and sisters with wills made of steel who were visibly showing the V sign of victory; in groups large and small or individually they had taken to the streets and will do so again and again this week and next week and next month until we, the youth of the land of Iran, of the Iranzamin, will shake off all the tyrants of power and demand our right to peaceful demonstrations, the annulment of this charade of an election and move towards more transparency and democratic government and an equal rule of law for a better Iran for all. 

Yes, we are the Iranian middle class and we run this country, and those who rule it should either wise up to this fact and compromise, or like all those who have tried to rule against the open opposition of their people, they will end up in the dustbin of history!

... Payvand News - 06/30/09 ... --

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