Iranian protesters poured into Tehran and several major cities in defiance of the Iranian government on Sunday, as large crowds gathered for Ashura, a major religious observance.
The crowds fought back security forces and chanted slogans against the Islamic regime. According to one opposition web site, at least four people were killed. While Iranian and international reporters were banned from the event, citizen media provided photos and video coverage.
A police base in Vali Asr Square is “conquered” by protesters:
And another demonstration in Tehran:
Photos on the Nakhana blog show people fighting back security forces:
And sign of victory:
Kosoof, a leading photoblogger, also covered the demonstration in Tehran:
Fearless people:
Marching together:
12 comments
Iran is less developed — it has not yet learned how to control its people with the facade of a two-party ‘Vichy’ government (and media) to better hide its authoritarian impulse.
Iran apparently also does not have WWF, NASCAR, TV reality shows, or 24×7 ‘news’ coverage of celebrity gate crashers in the palace to more politely distract their citizens from mass protests.
Perhaps the ruling-elite Empire here (U.S.) should share some of their more advanced “Brave New World” style ‘soft power’ PR and control techniques with Ahmadinejad and Iran, so that they would have less need to use the older, Orwellian 1984, ‘hard power’ techniques.
After all, its been almost four decades since Kent State and Black Panther control techniques have had to be used on the now-complacent and “Quiet American” populace.
Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine
Could not have said it better myself. The Western world is living behind a wall of celebrity/entertainment illusion. Imagine if everyone looked up from their IPOD long enough to see what’s really going on out there!
Jon Duggan
Nova Scotia
@Alan and @Jon, what you both need is a good, long stay in a closed society so that you can understand the differences yourselves. Yes, we in the West may live in a haze of entertainment, but there are significant differences in our societies and cultures. I do not even know how to begin debating you. Iranians are willing to risk everything for some of the things we DO take for granted: the ability to poke fun at their leaders, the right to lobby for their rights and to attain them, the right to challenge the legal system and to actually change and modify laws, and the right to be entertained. What we in the West have attained may seem silly and mind numbing to you, but the fact is things *have* changed. We live in dynamic societies where we can fight for our rights publicly. None of us will ever live in Utopia or even in societies where each and every person is awake to their rights and the rights of others.
Unfortunately the Kosoof photoblog has just been blocked! I checked it two minutes ago and it was visible but now it appeared to be SUSPENDED!!!
How about this rage:
http://tinyurl.com/y93g5cs
http://tinyurl.com/yzfhtbf
I assume Pahlavi shahi regim will come after this one.