Headlines/Archives
Mobile
RSSIran cracks down on anti-government protests
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iranian security forces attacked anti-government protesters on the streets of Tehran today as state-sanctioned rallies to mark the 30th anniversary of the US Embassy takeover took place nearby.
The counter-demonstrations were the opposition's first major show of force since mid-September after relentless crackdowns on their protests following the disputed June presidential election.
Although the crowds were far smaller than during last summer, authorities were ready with the same sweeping measures: dispatching paramilitary units to key locations and disrupting mobile phones, text messaging and internet access to frustrate protest organisers.
The contrasts in the latest protest wave were stark: people chanting "Death to America" outside the former US Embassy while hundreds of opposition marchers in central Haft-e-Tir Square denounced Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei with cries of "Death to the Dictator".
Other opposition protesters marched silently and flashed the V-for-victory sign. Many wore green scarves or wristbands that symbolised the campaign of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the election from him through fraud.
Mr Mousavi and his allies, including former President Mohammad Khatami, appeared to encourage opposition protesters to return to the streets.
Security forces - mainly paramilitary units and militiamen from the elite Revolutionary Guard - swept through the hundreds of demonstrators at Haft-e-Tir Square, clubbing and kicking them.
Pro-reform websites said police fired into the air to try to clear the square - about half a mile from the annual anti-American gathering outside the former US Embassy.
The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported police also used tear gas to disperse protesters in other parts of the city.
The opposition movement began as objection to Ahmadinejad's re-election, but it has expanded into a catch-all movement for complaints that include the unlimited powers of the ruling clerics, Iran's sinking economy and its international isolation. Their tactics now appear to rely on pinpoint protest strikes to coincide with government-backed events, such as September's anti-Israel day.
Authorities appeared determined to avoid opposition rallies overshadowing the anniversary of the embassy takeover. They had warned protesters days in advance against attempts to disrupt the annual gathering outside the former embassy, which was stormed by militants in 1979 in the turbulent months after the Islamic Revolution.
Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days in a crisis that began a three-decade diplomatic freeze between the two nations.
Security forces fanned out around Tehran at daybreak after opposition leaders refused to call off their appeals for counter demonstrations.
Volunteer militiamen linked to the Revolutionary Guard patrolled the streets on motorcycles - a familiar sight during the summer unrest. Hours after the clashes, police helicopters passed low over Tehran's rooftops.
Outside the former US Embassy, thousands of people waved anti-American banners and signs praising the Islamic Revolution.
The main speaker, hard-line politician Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, denounced the United States as the main enemy of Iran. He did not mention the talks with the West, including the United States, on Iran's nuclear program.
But he labelled opposition leaders as dangerous for the country, saying they claim to support the ideals of the Islamic Revolution but aid Iran's perceived enemies.
| Related Stories: |
|
