Posted on 06/10/2003 10:11:46 PM PDT by DoctorZIn
Students and a number of Tehrani clashed late Tuesday night with Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) backed by plainclothes men from pressure groups at Tehran University dormitory and neighbouring areas, leaving an undisclosed number of wounded, according to eyewitnesses.
The clashes occurred after some 1.000 to 2.000 students protested to plans aiming at privatising universities, according to the independent students news agency ISNA.
"LEF and thugs charged the students with chains, electric cable and clubs, after slogans saying death to Khameneh'i, death to Rafsanjani were chanted", one eyewitness told Iran Press Service, adding that hundreds of ordinary people had joined the demonstrators.
The clerical regime is nearing its end"., the protesters chanted. "Oh Islamic dictatorship, the anniversary of the dormitory attacks is approaching", they shouted, referring to 9 July 1999 students rebellion against the Mullahrchy.
"The demonstrations started at about 20.30 local time (17.00 GMT) from in front of the student’s main dormitory, with more than 2.000 students marching peacefully towards Amir Abad cross roads, chanting songs concerning their protests and returned to their dormitory after a while", ISNA reported
Eyewitnesses told IPS that as the number of marcher increased because of many people joining, slogans also changed, to become political, with people chanting "death to Khameneh'i" and "down with Islamic Republic".
Demonstrators also called for the powerless President Mohammad Khatami to resign.
"Justice, freedom, this is the slogan of the nation" and "Khatami resign", the crowd chanted.
Angry demonstrators attacked public buildings, banks, set fire on buses and smashed shops and buildings windows, one eyewitness reported, while another, joined on his mobile phone, assured that those who attacked shops and looted where plainclothes thugs brought in to back the security forces.
"Students resisted the brutal attack of the Islamic regime's special units sent in rush to put an end to their peaceful gathering", reported the Los Angeles-based Students Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy in Iran (SMCCDI), which has branches inside the country.
Clubs, chains and tear gas were used against the students who shouted "Down with Repression" and "Referendum, Referendum", the SMCCDI said, confirming that thousands of local residents had rushed to the help of the students and several people have been injured and arrested.
"Many late drivers created traffic jam's to avoid the fast circulation of the regime's patrol car bringing in security forces", it added.
The brutal confrontation followed a resolution adopted earlier in the morning by the Office for Consolidating Unity (OCU), Iranian students largest union, harshly criticising ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, the leader of the Islamic Republic.
This was the third open letter to Mr. Khameneh'i in the past two weeks, urging him to "choose between "continuing the present policy of dictatorship and oppression, a path that would lead to the collapse of the regime and eventually the interference of foreign powers, or to heed the voice and aspirations of the people for real changes, democracy and human rights".
"The signatories have reached the conclusion that Mr. Khameneh'i and the un-elected organs under his direct control are the main cause and root for the problems the nation faces. Either the leader changes course and policy, he submits himself to the people’s will and stop organs and institutions that suppresses people’s demands from abusing their unconstitutional powers or he could face the same fate as Saddam Hoseyn", one member of the OCU commented on the resolution. ENDS STUDENTS LEF CLASHES 10603
The younger generation is increasingly disaffected.
This is bad news for the regime, because it's the young ones who compose the enlisted ranks in the military
Do not forget that the Persians had an advanced society and a logical religion (Zorastism) which respected and peacefully coexisted with it neighbors before being forcibly converted to Islam. Much of the uniqueness of Persian culture comes from their Zorastic roots.
Allah, raghead! Allah, Raghead!
Ptooey! Ptooey!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Gooooo! Students!
I'll probably get banned for this one.
You still will have a portion of the population 10-20%(???) who will think that they are doing Gods work to destroy any uprising. I guess what I was trying to say is that Iran will be dealing with different dynamics than Romania was when that dictatorship fell. There was nobody defending Caucescu because it was God's will.
I read somewhere that in the American Revolution only a small portion of the population actually took a stand. It will depend on how many are actually prepared to fight (die) for freedom, and how many will die to save the mullahs. Not to mention that the ones wanting freedom have no guns and the mullahs do.
What seems to be happening in Iran is a feeling among the young that the mullahs are empowering and enriching themselves thru their offices. This leads to a growing dissatisfaction with Islam itself, leading to a perception that religion is a scam for the enrichment of the clergy
Rather than a repeat of the American Revolution, the dynamics in Iran may induce something more like the French Revolution, and the longer it is successfully repressed, the bigger the final explosion will be
Good point.
Only in the French Revolution, while it was also a reputiation of the Catholic Church, the Church did not do the governing just apporved the government, the daily governing did not have to get approved by the Cardinals and Bishops. It was a looser relationship with the Catholic Church having lost a lot of its control over the kings of Europe.
In Iran it is the mullahs that control the daily workings of the government. It is a government of religion. There will be a die hard element of the population that will fight to defend it.
I hope that this government falls easily. I just have this feeling that it won't. Islam demands islamic government and laws for its people. I think that religious islamics will feel that trying to destroy their islamic government will be a sin, and they must fight to keep it, to defend the faith.
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