Posted on 06/20/2009 7:48:40 PM PDT by Ooh-Ah
Palestinian Hamas members are helping the Iranian authorities crush street protests in support of reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, two protesters told The Jerusalem Post On Tuesday.
They made their allegations as rioting on a scale unseen in Iran for nearly a decade continued in the wake of the elections and the allegations that the results were falsified. The protests have now spread from Teheran to other major cities.
Mousavi insisted on Tuesday that he would "protect" his supporters' votes "at all cost, even if I am at risk."
Shouting from a car roof to a roaring crowd of supporters, he declared: "The pillars of the revolution have been shaken... We must not be silent."
Hamas formally welcomed incumbent Ahmadinejad's ostensible reelection victory on Saturday. The Palestinian Islamist movement receives arms and funding from Iran, and its members have often received training there, including in terror tactics and weapons manufacture.
Despite a massive crackdown on dissent, thousands of protesters rallied again in Teheran on Tuesday night in support of Mousavi, following reports that up to 20 people had been killed by security forces at rallies across Iran against the disputed results of last week's presidential elections.
Pro-government gunmen, reportedly opening fire on protesters, killed at least seven people on Monday night and others have been wounded.
State radio reports claimed that the victims were trying to loot weapons and to vandalize public property, and were shot by unidentified gunmen.
People claiming to have witnessed the shootings, however, insist that the victims were peaceful demonstrators, including students from Teheran university. "There are so many crimes, beatings and killings that have yet to be reported. When we fight back, it is for our own protection," said a young man passing out flyers with the names of those he said were murdered Teheran University students.
Among those named were Fatima Brahati, Kasra Sharafi, Kambiz Shahi, Mohsen Emani and Mina Ahtrami. Their bodies are said to have been secretly buried by government loyalists.
Amid the violence, confusion and government restrictions on communication, the accuracy of conflicting accounts is hard to ascertain.
"The most important thing that I believe people outside of Iran should be aware of," the young man went on, "is the participation of Palestinian forces in these riots."
Another protester, who spoke as he carried a kitchen knife in one hand and a stone in the other, also cited the presence of Hamas in Teheran.
On Monday, he said, "my brother had his ribs beaten in by those Palestinian animals. Taking our people's money is not enough, they are thirsty for our blood too."
It was ironic, this man said, that the victorious Ahmadinejad "tells us to pray for the young Palestinians, suffering at the hands of Israel." His hope, he added, was that Israel would "come to its senses" and ruthlessly deal with the Palestinians.
When asked if these militia fighters could have been mistaken for Lebanese Shi'ites, sent by Hizbullah, he rejected the idea. "Ask anyone, they will tell you the same thing. They [Palestinian extremists] are out beating Iranians in the streets… The more we gave this arrogant race, the more they want… [But] we will not let them push us around in our own country."
Mousavi has said he won Friday's balloting, and he demanded the government annul Ahmadinejad's victory and hold a new election.
Iran's state radio said seven people were killed in clashes at Monday's protest - the first official confirmation of deaths linked to the street battles following the disputed vote.
It said people were killed during an "unauthorized gathering" at a mass rally after protesters "tried to attack a military location." Witnesses saw people firing from the roof of a building used by a state-backed militia after Mousavi supporters set fire to the building and tried to storm it.
Mousavi supporters had called for demonstrations on Tuesday, but Mousavi said in a message on his Web site he would not be attending any rally and asked his supporters to "not fall in the trap of street riots," and to "exercise self-restraint." Foreign reporters in Iran to cover last week's elections began leaving the country on Tuesday after officials said they would not extend their visas.
Authorities restricted other journalists, including Iranians working for foreign media, from reporting on the streets, and said they could only work from their offices, conducting telephone interviews and monitoring official sources such as state TV.
At least ten Iranian journalists have been arrested since the election, "and we are very worried about them, we don't know where they have been detained," Jean-Francois Julliard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders told AP Television News in Paris. He added that some people who took pictures with cellphones were also arrested.
The government imposed rules prevent media outlets, including The Associated Press, from sending independent photos or video of street protests or rallies.
Yaakov Katz, Herb Keinon, Rebecca Anna Stoil, AP and JPost.com staff contributed to this report.
They need to start compiling lists of these Basiji low lifes...names, addresses; start stapling these lists to telephone poles and trees; and paste them to windows/walls.
...email the lists out of the country!
Obama has nothing to give them; that money is coming out of the US Treasury.
And that means that the United States government is a state sponsor of terrorism. Those thugs you see beating Iranian students and murdering innocent people whose only crime is speaking out against tyranny? If you are a taxpayer, you're paying for some of them.
Welcome to chapter one of the Obamanation of Desolation.
“the United States government is a state sponsor of terrorism” under 0bama.
Thanks for making my thoughts come to a point.
ping
This is Obama’s revolution. He funded Hamas to do their evil in Iran. Obama is a pupet for Saudi interests.
This is Obama’s revolution. He funded Hamas to do their evil in Iran. Obama is a pupet for Saudi interests.
President Obamadhimmijad has spoken...the people should return to their business and seek no more to support freedom for oppressed people.
Might be a good time for Israel to clean out the Gaza Strip.
This cuts both ways.
Iranian thugs recruit Arabs who are more likely to kill Persians without remorse.
However, Iranians are now more likely to kill these Arab mercenaries without remorse, or at least, to do so easier than they would a fellow Persian.
All hell NEEDS to break loose.
As tragic as the street violence, and government crack down, is, we are faced with these nut jobs getting the bomb rather soon.
The silence coming from the arab and muslim world is sickening.
The lack of leadership coming from this stupid magic negro is to be expected.
Hamas formally welcomed incumbent Ahmadinejad's ostensible reelection victory on Saturday. The Palestinian Islamist movement receives arms and funding from Iran, and its members have often received training there, including in terror tactics and weapons manufacture.
the leftwing sites are all saying this is a lie, and that the Jews are feeding disinformation to score points against Hamas. Do you have any other sources (preferably European papers, sites)?
Hamas, Hizbullah join Iran's paramilitary forces in post-vote crackdown
LOL. Could not. Haha. When does Jimmah not want to favor us with his wisdom?
Chose not, has his finger to the wind, or is waiting for the 'right time' to blather on about it. If or when he is reached, he will likely comment on how this is Iran's internal problem, and Hamas ability to 'help' shows it is a viable organization, or some such blather (I won't be listening), ignoring the real issue and changing the subject into a highlight of Hamas, one of his favs.
I had wondered how the Iranian police would be brought to restore order, to 'crush' their own people - but aha, Amedinejad has the magic bullet, bring in the thugs.
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