Demonstrations in Iran (multiple photos)

Reuters/various sources | May 23,2006

[nuconvert]

There are several main cities involved in protests over the past day or 2.: Tabriz And Tehran. The Tabrizi protests (in the N.W. of Iran) revolve around an offensive cartoon printed in a state-run paper, that insulted the Azeri Iranians. There were reports of the IRGC shooting demonstrators. There were many broken windows, and some fire. Dozens arrested, but no word yet on the number wounded or dead. The crowd in Tabriz was estimated at 10,000 people.

There is also another city being reported today as having bigger protest than the one in Tabriz , called Rezaiyeh, which is the capital of West Azerbaijan province in N.W. Iran, near the Turkish border. (no pictures yet)

Summer is always a time for increased demonstrations in Iran, and this summer is expected to be very active.

[nuconvert]

Protest march in Tabriz

The Tehran protests are at several universities. Some students were carrying signs that say "Down with Tyranny, Down with Dictator!" and "Leave the nukes, Take care of us!"

Also there were signs saying: "This is University, not a religious madrassa" and "University is not a military garrison"

These are students at the law school...They're protesting aganist the regime for the forced retirement of their secular instructors.

[Windsong]

Good god, looks even more Islamic than Iraq or Afghanistan. The women are all dressed up like the Grim Reaper.

So a man sows, so shall he reap, I suppose.

[cmsgop]

No Question the Iranian People are Good and Decent,Bravo For Them

[pissant]

The mullahs need to go. We need to help that happen.

[don-o]

This is good.

Hope we have assets on the ground to support and stoke this!

[EagleUSA]

Maybe they should be protesting against the sleaze-bag government and the nutjob "President" they have...instead of cartoons...beautiful Islam.

[Blue Jays]

Hi Windsong-

From what we know of the story, these students are on our side from an ideological perspective.

~ Blue Jays ~

[nuconvert]

"Maybe they should be protesting against the sleaze-bag government"

Maybe you should read the thread again. They are.

[Maceman]

Maybe they should be protesting against the sleaze-bag government and the nutjob "President" they have..

Ummm . . . they are.

[nuconvert]

I kinda doubt it right now.

[nuconvert]

Pong

[Redcloak]

Why is Tehran poking the Azeris in the eye? Are they Sunnis?

[GSlob]

Well, somewhere around Azeri/Iranian border there is a natural reservoir of plague, IIRC. Even saw it on a map once, years ago. Maybe they'll have an outbreak.

[GSlob]

WJC provided a comprehensive answer to your queston "why?" [albeit in the context of his peccadilloes]: "because I could". Ditto here.

[sionnsar]

Good god, looks even more Islamic than Iraq or Afghanistan. The women are all dressed up like the Grim Reaper.
So a man sows, so shall he reap, I suppose.

Don't knock the beauty of Persian women...

[ishabibble]

The women are dressed like that because they are being forced to...just look at photo #2 and you will see military officers standing behind the gate, behind the local police.

Also notice the English on the modern buildings, and the jeans and sneakers of these westernized kids who are sick of oppression.

God bless these kids in the pics, they are the ones who will have to get this thing going since the entire world is cowering in the face of Crazy Mo and his nukes. That evil nutcase is building a hotel for Allah, who is coming soon according to a nut with nukes. We need to wake up. NOW.

[nuconvert]

"Why is Tehran poking the Azeris in the eye?"

lol. You assume that the regime cares about such silly things as maybe offending someone.

[Valin]

The Azeri Question in Iran:
A Crucial Issue for Iran’s Future
by Nasib Nasibzade
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/HOMEPAGES/USAZERB/334.htm

Nasib Nasibzade is the President of the Foundation for Azerbaijan Studies in Baku, Azerbaijan. He was Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Iran from 1992-94.
Iran is a multinational country, composed of Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Turkmens, Arabs, Baluchies and others. The Turkic speaking Azeris in Iran are being discriminated against by the Iranian regime. This problem is further exxareggated by the fact that, the Azeris are themselves a divided nation, separated by the borders of Iran and the Azerbaijani republic. These two circumstances have combined to pose an Azeri dilemma.

The History of the Problem
(snip)


You must understand the nature of dictatorships, they need enemies, external ememies are good BUT internal ones are even better, Best ones are both internal & external. Of course it helps if they are a small minority and thier country is small. The Azeris are tailormade for this abuse. In fact if they didn't already exist the Mullahs in Tehran would have to invent them.

[nuconvert]

The offending cartoon is the second to last with the kid talking to the bug

http://www.achiq.org/herekat2/cartoons.htm

The kid is saying bug/cockroach in different ways to try to get the bug to understand him, and the bug (who speaks Azeri) asks him what he means, because he doesn't understand.
The Azeris didn't appreciate being depicted as a cockroach.

[odds]

I heard about 250,000 protesters on an Iranian-French site:

http://www.iran-resist.org/article2119

http://www.iran-resist.org/article2121

It is in French, unfortunately.