Posted on 10/09/2007 3:58:07 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Students clash as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces protest at campus speech
Kayvon Biouki in Tehran
Iranian students staged a noisy protest against President Ahmadinejad yesterday when he arrived at Tehran University to give a speech marking the start of the academic year.
In scenes rarely witnessed in Iran, scores of students chanted anti-Ahmadinejad slogans, clashed with pro-government militia and made public a highly critical letter addressed to the Iranian leader.
The authorities responded by firing teargas canisters into the campus, just as the Iranian leader was leaving.
“It looked like a boxing ring in there, but instead of two fighters there were 2,000 opponents on each side of the ring,” said a female student.
All entrances to Tehran University, a sprawling campus in the heart of the capital, were guarded by police and undercover security agents who kept out potential demonstrators.
The protesters gathered outside, with some chanting slogans comparing the Iranian leader to the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. “Ahmadinejad is Pinochet! Iran will not become Chile,” they cried. Others chanted: “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is supporter of corruption and prejudice.”
Some made references to Mr Ahmadinejad’s speech last month at Columbia University in New York, where the Iranian leader said that people “should be free to speak their mind” at university.
“Why only in Columbia? We have questions too!” read one banner.
The demonstration was organised by Tahkim Vahdat, the student union organisation. Many of its leaders were arrested this year and three remain behind bars.
The group issued a letter to the Iranian leader with a list of 20 questions, challenging his rule and authority.
“We have given our letter of protest to the media last night and we have asked questions from Ahmadinejad that we think every Iranian would want to know the answer to,” said Nikoo Nesbati, a spokesman for the student union.
“By not letting us in the university, they achieved nothing because the conflict started even without us. We are not the only citizens of Iran, there are also another 70 million who need to have an answer,” he said.
The Iranian authorities made sure that the anti-government protesters were not the only voices heard yesterday. They were challenged by members of the Basij, a religious militia who countered with their own chants: “Shame on you hypocrites! Leave the university!”
When the two sides did clash punches were thrown but there were no serious injuries and the police and campus security officers took control.
State television reported Mr Ahmadinejad’s speech at the university, quoting him as saying that “students should feel responsible in the international arena . . . Today’s world needs them.”
But it made no mention of the hostile response that the Iranian head of state received from some students.
President’s words
“In a university environment we must allow people to speak their mind, to allow everyone to talk so that the truth is eventually revealed by all.” September 24, 2007, addressing Columbia University
“We believe that accurate dissemination of news and information is necessary for political growth and awareness as well as effective interaction among nations in today’s world.” January 17, 2006, on lifting a ban on CNN in Iran
“The United Nations must have the possibility to enable all governments, civil society organisations and NGOs from all over the world to freely travel to its headquarters without the selective hindrances of the host country.” September 14, 2005, at United Nations General Assembly
If only the students at Columbia University had done the same, instead they applauded him. What a travesty for our university system to embrace Achmadinajad rather than stand with the students who protested him.
It is a shame Columbia should never live down.
Hate to see what is going to happen to those students in Iran later on. For all we know they may be gathered and shot.
Here’s a short video
Very good news as well as interesting. If the guy is such a great guy, why do they hate him so much?
--excuse me--
Our president should be hammering Iran's nuclear facilities, rolling its Pasdaran agents back from Baghdad to Tehran and putting them up on lamp posts, not crooning Kumbaya--
The poor souls in this video are no doubt screaming under real torture in the IRGC's prisons.
But the U.S. administration (Football Commissioner Condi) sends chaperones to accompany Blackwater and parlays with Assad and Adamjihad's lackeys.
The guts of this street demonstration of Iran young people stands in stark contrast to Foggy Bottom's betrayal of our forces fighting for freedom in the region and indigenous forces such as these pictured in this demonstration.
And it took enduring yesterday's AFSCME Featherbed Day and an hour of busy signals today to get through to a White House Comment Line operator to deplore the President's sucking up to Islamists and his failure to bring down the Islamist regime in Tehran.
How is the war in Iraq to be won if Syria and Iran are still standing and abetting the "insurgents"?
Ledeen may shout "faster, please", but that presumes it's in action.
Next time Israel takes off for downtown Syria, I say, don't stop there--take it to the streets of Tehran.
When Ahmanutjob speaks at Tehran University, students shout against him. When he speaks at Columbia University, students applaud him. Hell, if I had to choose between the two schools I’d learn Farsi and be off to Tehran U!
What a weird world...
He and the clerics need to stop breathing, then Iran can move forward with a future IMO.
“Why only in Columbia? We have questions too!” read one banner. ‘
Because academia here in America thinks Imindamood4jihad is just peachy!
(chuckle)
Bump
All entrances to Tehran University, a sprawling campus in the heart of the capital, were guarded by police and undercover security agents who kept out potential demonstrators... Some made references to Mr Ahmadinejad's speech last month at Columbia University in New York, where the Iranian leader said that people "should be free to speak their mind" at university... The demonstration was organised by Tahkim Vahdat, the student union organisation. Many of its leaders were arrested this year and three remain behind bars... State television reported Mr Ahmadinejad's speech at the university... But it made no mention of the hostile response that the Iranian head of state received from some students.The students used to chant, "death to the mullahs! The mullahs must be killed!" It is coming.
I wonder how many UAVs could be dropped and launched against the Iranian army from just *one* B-52?
I dunno, but I remember seeing a B-52 bombing run, from a couple miles away, make a Southeast Asian beach look like it was being traversed by a stampede of a hundred thousand buffalo, and remember wondering at the time why the ship’s superstructure above my head was rattling so much.
The irony here is almost unbelievable.
I’ve only seen a B-52 bomb drop (VN era) on film. A rack was dropped, took a while; figured that was it, then the next rack started; maybe there were three or four total. Unreal. The B-52 payload was specified to accommodate Ed Teller’s H-bomb design, but another team came up with a much smaller design, so the 52 wound up a (mostly) conventional bomber.
Peace through superior firepower.
:’)
Let’s hope that whoever gives the commencement speech at graduation day for Columbia U’s Class of 2007 should keep it short and sweet-Like: “ Kiss my *** you class of sorry losers. Go now and try not to screw up the rest of the world.”
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