Iran 288

En zoals overal waar de macht in het gedrang komt slaat de macht het verzet neer, de colonne eenmaal in beweging kan niet worden gestopt, zoals de socialistische burgemeester Polak in 1980 de Amsterdamse krakers en hun sympathisanten liet weten terwijl tanks door de straten reden, vergezeld van scherpschutters. Het geweld van de autoriteiten werd toen onmiddellijk gesteund door de commerciele massamedia. In Iran gebeurt hetzelfde nu. Niets nieuws onder de zon.

Witnesses Report Fierce Clashes on Tehran Streets

Saturday 20 June 2009

by: Ali Akbar Dareini and Nasser Karimi |

Visit article original @ The Associated Press Tehran, Iran -

Witnesses said police fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of protesters who rallied in Tehran Saturday in open defiance of Iran's clerical government, sharply escalating the most serious internal conflict since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Eyewitnesses described fierce clashes near Revolution Square in central Tehran after some 3,000 protesters chanted "Death to the dictator!" and "Death to dictatorship!" Police responded with tear gas and water cannons, the witnesses said. English-language state TV said a blast at the Tehran shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had killed one persona and wounded two but the report could not be independently confirmed due to government restrictions on independent reporting. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned opposition leaders on Friday to end street protests or be held responsible for any "bloodshed and chaos" to come. Eyewitnesses contacted by The Associated Press said thousands of police and plainclothes militia members filled the streets Saturday to prevent rallies. Fire trucks took up positions in Revolution Square and riot police surrounded Tehran University, the site of recent clashes between protesters and security forces, one witness said. Web sites run by supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi said he planned to post a message, but there was no statement by the time of the planned street protests at 4 p.m. (7:30 a.m. EDT, 1130 GMT). Some pro-reform Web sites called for people to take to the streets Tehran Province Police Chief Ahmad Reza Radan said earlier in the day "police forces will crack down on any gathering or protest rally which are being planned by some people."
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