Protesters, Police Clash In Tehran On Anniversary Of U.S. Embassy Takeover
By Golnaz Esfandiari, RFE/RL
As Iran held anti-U.S. rallies to mark the 30th anniversary of the takeover
of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, security forces clashed in the capital with
opposition supporters who renewed their protest against the reelection of
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. The opposition demonstrators were defying Iranian
officials' orders not to use the day to stage antigovernment protests.
WATCH: One video showed protesters stomping on a poster of Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tensions have been running high since Ahmadinejad
was named the winner of the June 12 presidential vote, a decision the opposition
believes was the result of fraud. Authorities cracked down violently on the mass
protests, which marked the country's biggest political crisis since the 1979
revolution.
Related Article:
Tension and Hope in the Streets of Tehran
This morning the sun was shining and mountains were covered by white
beautiful snow; and the deep sense of tension was strongly at large.
From every corner of town, but specially from central parts, people
called to say that the spirit of opposition to demand change, to
struggle for air of some kind of a civil society in 21st century,
was high. -Citizen Journalist, Tehran
A Tehran-based journalist, Siamak Taheri, says that since the June 12 election,
holding official state holidays has become a real challenge for the Islamic
establishment.
"The Islamic republic is no longer able to hold ceremonies like it did earlier
on days considered important to the regime," Taheri says. "There are no more
ceremonies, as such, but rather tense streets and streets full of tear gas."
'Death To The Dictator'
Witnesses in Tehran said police and Basij members used force and fired tear gas
to disperse thousands of protesters, many of whom chanted "Death to the
Dictator" while wearing green wristbands and holding green banners and balloons
to signify their allegiance to the Green opposition movement.
Pro-government crows rally outside the
former U.S. Embassy in Tehran
On condition of anonymity, a woman in Tehran who
participated in the protest told RFE/RL about the clashes between protesters and
Basij forces.
"People were throwing stones, they used teargas and pepper gas against people,"
she said. "The number of people who were injured is high. I don't know if
anybody died, but [Basij forces] were hitting people with batons. I was hit on
the head. They don't care if you're young or old. They're beating everyone."
In the crowd was cleric Mehdi Karrubi, an opposition leader who was a candidate
in the June 12 election. Karrubi attempted to reach Hafte Tir square but was
prevented from doing so by security forces. (Click for YouTube
video.)
Karrubi's son, Mohammad Taghi Karrubi, told Radio Farda that two of the
opposition leader's bodyguards and a number of his supporters were injured. "The
police forces shot tear gas directly toward Karrubi and his supporters. It
resulted in the injury of two of the guards, who were transferred to the
hospital," he said.
Mohammad Taghi Karrubi added that officials advised his father not to take part
in the demonstration because of the possibility that those opposed to the
establishment could stage a "suicide attack." Discounting the official line, he
said that Karrubi's camp considers the violence used against the opposition
leader's entourage as a "terror attempt" conducted by government forces.
Opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi, who officially finished second in the
election and who has called on his supporters to continue their opposition to
Ahmadinejad's victory, had also announced that he would participate in today's
demonstrations. But according to a report on his website, he was prevented from
attending the protest by plainclothes agents.
Musavi's supporters chanted "Ya Hossein, Mir Hossein" ["Oh Hossein, Mir Hossein"]
as they staged protests on the streets of the capital. Some also chanted slogans
against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has described the
questioning of the June 12 vote as the "biggest crime." One video showed
protesters stomping on a Khamenei poster.
Many also chanted "Allah Akbar," which has become one of the signature chants of
the opposition Green movement that emerged united after the June vote.
Anti-Russian, Anti-U.S.
Meanwhile, thousands of government supporters carried anti-U.S. banners as they
marched in the capital near the former U.S. Embassy, which Iranian officials
refer to as "the nest of spies."
In another neighborhood, opposition protesters chanted slogans against Russia,
which they criticize for backing Ahmadinejad's reelection. The protesters called
the Russian Embassy a "nest of spies" as well. (Click for YouTube
video.)
Many opposition members also called on called on U.S. President Barack Obama to
clearly express his support for them, chanting "Obama, Obama, either with us, or
with them!"
A number of protesters, including several
students, were reportedly detained in Tehran today. Mohammad Hashemi, a senior
member of Iran's largest reformist student group Daftar Tahkim Vahdat, was
reportedly arrested at his home.
The last time the opposition launched mass street demonstration was in September
amid official celebrations of Quds Day. Tens of thousands of supporters of
Musavi and Karrubi used the occasion to demonstrate in the streets of Tehran and
other cities including Shiraz and Rasht.
In recent weeks, students at Universities in Tehran, Ahwaz, Mazandaran, and
other cities have held antigovernment protests. Several protests reportedly took
place today at university campuses in Shiraz, Rasht, and several other cities.
Radio Farda broadcasters Hannah Kaviani, Roya Karim, Mohammad Zarghami, and
Ruzbeh Bolhari contributed to this report.
Copyright (c) 2009 RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
