Bush Doctrine Unfolds :
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Posted on 06/19/2003 9:18:12 AM PDT by Persia
TEHRAN (AFP) - Thousands of anti-government demonstrators took to Tehran streets in cars for a ninth straight night of protests, with the focus of protests shifting away from the university campus.
AFP/File Photo
AFP Slideshow: Iran
Protestors converged instead on Tehran Pars, a poor neighboorhood about 15 kilometres (10 miles) from the university, staging a large demonstration that was met by a heavy anti-riot police deployment.
Debris scattered on the sidewalk suggested there had been earlier clashes, and AFP correspondent at the scene said Thursday.
The demonstrations launched last week by Iranian students and reformers -- until recently focused on the university -- have become more low-key since the weekend, with few people venturing out of their vehicles or shouting slogans.
On June 13, Islamist militiamen had used clubs and iron bars to disperse protesters and few ventured outside of their vehicles overnight Wednesday.
Earlier Wednesday, embattled reformist President Mohammad Khatami (news - web sites) broke his silence over the demonstrations, defending the right to rally but condemning violence, whether caused by protesters or hardline Islamist groups.
"If we want democracy, we must accept such protests as natural.
"We recognise the right to protest, which existed in the past and still exists," said Khatami, a mild-mannered cleric much criticised for failing to stand up to his hardline opponents entrenched in the judiciary and legislative vetting bodies.
Also Wednesday, US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) expressed his strongest support yet for anti-regime protestors in Iran, calling them "courageous souls who speak out for freedom" and stressing: "They need to know America stands squarely by their side."
"I would urge the Iranian administration to treat them with the utmost of respect," said the US leader, who has branded Iran part of an "axis of evil" with North Korea (news - web sites) and Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s Iraq (news - web sites).
Tehran Pars, also the scene of recent demonstrations, has seen members of the hardline Basij militia posted throughout the neighbourhood to enforce a return to calm.
On Wednesday, the militiamen patrolled the streets of Tehran Pars, walking among the cars of the protesters in a show of force.
Scores of people have been injured or detained over the past week of anti-government protests, which come amid a worsening political deadlock between reformists loyal to Khatami and powerful Islamist hardliners.
The protests have been marked by slogans targeting supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and sparked clashes with hardline vigilantes loyal to him.
But tensions in Tehran have been eased by a police crackdown on the activities of the hardline Islamist Basij and Ansar Hezbollah militias.
At least 170 people were arrested during sporadic clashes between police and demonstrators in several other Iranian cities on Tuesday night, according to Iranian news agencies.
Bush Doctrine Unfolds :
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(Better by far than a Tienanmen Square outcome.)
The activists will get a chance to regroup, refine tactics, accumulate weapons, and be MUCH more ready for the next round in July.
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