Iran’s emergent revolution
Posted on | September 21, 2009 | No Comments
Protestors flood Tehran streets
By Borzou Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim, Associated Press
Tens of thousands of protesters swarmed the streets of Tehran and at least two other Iranian cities Friday, audaciously turning an annual rally in support of the Palestinian cause into the first major demonstration against the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in six weeks.
“Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I’ll sacrifice my life for Iran,” chanted the protesters as they stretched out along the capital’s wide boulevards.
This article is just so well-written, and so full of real, personal accounts of the anti-government marches that took place Sept. 18, which was supposed to mark this year’s iteration of an annual rally for the Palestinian cause. The student-led protests questioning the validity of Ahmadinejad’s presidency and the usefulness of anti-Israeli sentiments are even more astounding because they go in the face of three consecutive months of beatings and imprisonment for anybody recognized as sympathetic to their cause. Some of the state police apparently support their cause as well, according to AP, with one officer encouraging an opposition demonstrator, “Come on, don’t be afraid. Be brave. We die once, and this is worth it.”
When ever an event such as this one comes along and allows me to empathize with someone clear across the world, who may not share my heritage or skin color or religion, it reminds me how silly all these manufactured borders are which separate our common humanity. Absolutely a must-read.
I wish my Iranian brethren the best in their opposition to an invalid, out-of-touch regime.
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