Armed Vigilante's attack Demonstrators Bringing about a Response in Kind.
Independant News Agency Zagros (INAZ) - Saterday June 14th, 2003,
There were widespread clashes throughout Tehran last night. The youth and the general public engaged in a fourth night and fifth day of protests. They were openly chanting slogans against the Islamic Republic and its leaders. There were families with children driving round in their cars and walking on the streets.
During planned operations last night, the Ansare Hezbollah (Islamist Vigilantes), agents of the Intelligence Ministry, Special Units in plainclothes, and the Basij (vigilantes) were brought in to forcefully end the protests.The plainclothes forces were equipped with knives, chains, daggers, screwdrivers, bats, tear gas and guns. These forces attacked severely injuring tens of students in the dormitories of the university on Amirabad street (Northern Kargar), Jalal Ahmad, Geesha, Beheshti University dorms, and the Alameh Tabatabai university
The police force had been ordered not to interfere in the special operations of the plainclothes agents and to grant them full freedom and authority in crackdowning and attacking the protestors. Many reporters have been reporting on the brutality of these attacks and are mentioning high numbers for the total number of injured and arrested.
The plainclothes agents caused alot of physical damage and injured many during their attack on Alameh Tabatabai university. Inside the main university they attempted to break into the dorms, and in the adjacent streets they attacked everyone including people standing in their own doorways, injuring many with daggers, chains and knives.
The students in return took several vigilantes hostage, punishing them publicly. In some instances the plainclothes agents were forced to flee or surrender by the people.
A 20 year old student named Parta says, " you won't even find this kind of merciless and ferocious barbarism amongst animals. We will hunt down these 'lesser than animals' ".
ISNA News agency is estimating the total number of serious injuries as 15, but eyewitnesses speak of tens of injured in the hospitals.
A political analyst in Berlin had this to say about the recent events, " Its gotten to a point where everybody understands the necessity of active and aggressive resistance against the vigilante forces. The opposition has to learn how to respond in kind that means arming, equipping and organising itself. This is the only way to confront these crackdowns.
While protests raged on in Tehran last night, there were widespread protests in Esfehan and Shiraz also, with chants against the regime and its leaders.
"The Uprising is Spreading to the General population"
Seems like the protests are spreading demographically and geographically. Promising developments.
Gotta love it !!!
(They hate to see any advancement of liberty.)