Iran: Clashes in Tehran as opposition defies regime warnings (they are back)

The Times (UK) ^ | 09/18/09 | Philippe Naughton

[TigerLikesRooster]

Clashes in Tehran as opposition defies regime warnings

Philippe Naughton

Clashes broke out on the streets of Tehran today as tens of thousands of Iranians marched in favour of the opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, defying government warnings and a heavy police presence at an annual rally to show solidarity with the Palestinians.

The demonstrators carried accessories in green, the signature colour of Mr Mousavi’s election campaign, for what was the first demonstration in two months against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's contested re-election in June.

But the protest soon sparked violence as fistfights broke out with Ahmadinejad loyalists. Witnesses said that at least two people were injured.

The AFP news agency said that crowds of young men and women shouted “Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!” and demanded the release of political prisoners detained since the demonstrations after the June election.

They also chanted “Don’t be afraid, we are all together” and “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, I will sacrifice myself for Iran," a witness said.

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters staged a protest in the landmark Haft-e Square, where Mr Mousavi himself and another defeated presidential candidate, Mehdi Karoubi, were due to join the al-Quds Day rally.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[pieceofthepuzzle]

They must be astroturfing racist teabaggers..

[American Constitutionalist]

" tens of thousands "

Let's see how the main fringe media here also plays down those numbers to manipulate and fool the numb minded sheeple that it was just a mob of radical extremest.

[Truth29]

It is probably time for Obama to come out with a statement of support for Nutjob and Iranian stability while announcing new sanctions against Honduras. sarc/

[Loud Mime]

He will support their right to protest, and silently agree with the government’s right to crush said protests and the lives of the protesters.

[FreeAtlanta]

The frustration at their government and lack of hope must be overwhelming for them to stand against their government like that. Nancy, am I talking about Iran or American Patriots?

Seriously, the Iranian are very brave. Their government is going to kill a lot of these new protesters like they did with the ones just a month ago. It gives me hope that no matter how bad it gets here, that Freedom can take a stand.

[Son House]

What a shame they can’t look at the President(Øbama) of the United States for strength in a fight for freedom

[screaminsunshine]

Obama thought they had been taken care of. Now they are back messing up his plans. Those pesky protesters.

[AdmSmith]

It is not settled yet:

A recent blast came from Hosein Ali Montazeri, a grand ayatollah, now 87, once tipped to succeed the Islamic Republic’s founding father, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, as supreme leader. Expressing deep shame in a widely disseminated letter, he called on fellow clergymen to denounce the government so as to preserve the reputation of Islam. In an apparent response, police in the Shia seminary city of Qom detained three of his grandsons, along with relatives of other dissident clerics.
http://www.economist.com/world/middleeast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14462435