Iranian Police Fire Tear Gas at Opposition Protesters

BBC News - Iran police fire tear gas at opposition rally in Tehran

In their first major show of dissent since December 2009, thousands of opposition supporters defied the government ban and gathered at Tehran's Azadi Square on Monday. They chanted "Death to dictators".

Riot police and plain-clothes police backed by the Republican Guards used tear gas to disperse the protesters, he adds.

Other witnesses said police also fired paintball guns at demonstrators.

The fiercest clashes were reported on Azerbaijan Street, close to Azadi Square, and one witness said a number of ambulances had come and gone.

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Basenji and Revolutionary Guards. Bullets and trucheons. The will to kill.

Happy 25 Bahman!

Enduring America is live-blogging the Iranian protests:

EA WorldView - Home - The Latest from Iran (14 February): It is 25 Bahman

1840 GMT: RAHANA claims that security forces have beaten a number of students of Sharif University in Tehran.

1835 GMT: Footage has been posted which claims to be of a night-time protest in Shiraz.

1830 GMT: Mardomak reports that 10,000 security personnel are preventing people from spending the night in Azadi Square.

1825 GMT: An EA correspondent brings up to date, "Electricity interrupted along Enghelab [Avenue], ostensibly to ease repression. BBC has also posted unconfirmed report of two people being wounded by gunfire."

He warns, "All very ugly and leading to increased repression in next few days. Expect a new wave of arrests to begin tonight or tomorrow."

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DebatePolitics has a new Iranian member. I wonder what he thinks? Why don't you ask him?
http://www.debatepolitics.com/gener...-july-british-monarchy-and-united-states.html

We've long had an Iranian poster here. I'm pretty clear on what he thinks.

Catz Part Deux said:

We've long had an Iranian poster here. I'm pretty clear on what he thinks.

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What's his or her moniker?

I was referring to hussainmehdi. Who are you talking about?

Albert Di Salvo said:

What's his or her moniker?

I was referring to hussainmehdi. Who are you talking about?

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doesn't he play for the bears?

liblady said:

doesn't he play for the bears?

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When we talk about Bears, we salute UC Berkeley. Not Chicago.

Either big big numbers of people have to come out and STAY like the protests in Egypt of this will be a repeat of 2 years ago.

The Iranian leadership says it has fully supported the Egyptian protests and that those occurring in Iran are attempts of opposition leaders to once again cause trouble, trying to use Egypt as an excuse.

Ockham said:

Either big big numbers of people have to come out and STAY like the protests in Egypt of this will be a repeat of 2 years ago.

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The Iranian protesters will have to show a level of physical courage that the Egyptians were not called upon to display. During the last go round the Basenji shot protesters from rooftops. This didn't happen in Egypt.

Albert Di Salvo said:

During the last go round the Basenji shot protesters from rooftops.

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That's how you deal with dirty liberals.

SE102 said:

That's how you deal with dirty liberals.

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The way to deal with American leftists is to discredit them.

In the short term, I unfortunately have to agree that you'll probably see a repeat of two years ago: Some people turn out to protest, the government shoots, beats, and arrests them, and the protests fade away.

In the longer term, Iran's political situation is unsustainable and it probably will transition to some form of democracy. Ali Khamenei is reported to have terminal leukemia, and the Iranian Parliament hates Ahmadinejad. Once Khamenei dies, there will be a mad scramble for power that will probably result in a major liberalizing of the political and civil spheres.

Furthermore, there is a feeling of superiority over Arabs that many Iranians feel. If Arab states start implementing real democracies, I think a lot of Iranians will find it humiliating and demand to know why they can't have the same. Especially since their own government just endorsed the Egyptian protests. I think the Iranian government is playing a very dangerous game by endorsing the Arab revolts. It's far less likely that Arab protesters will want to replicate the Iranian revolution, than that Persian protesters will want to replicate the Arab revolutions.

The Revolutionary Guard demonstrated their willingness to use force to keep the government in place, before the protestors can ever make any real change in Iran, without accepting the fact that they are going to have to play just as dirty.

Kandahar said:

In the short term, I unfortunately have to agree that you'll probably see a repeat of two years ago: Some people turn out to protest, the government shoots, beats, and arrests them, and the protests fade away.

In the longer term, Iran's political situation is unsustainable and it probably will transition to some form of democracy. Ali Khamenei is reported to have terminal leukemia, and the Iranian Parliament hates Ahmadinejad. Once Khamenei dies, there will be a mad scramble for power that will probably result in a major liberalizing of the political and civil spheres.

Furthermore, there is a feeling of superiority over Arabs that many Iranians feel. If Arab states start implementing real democracies, I think a lot of Iranians will find it humiliating and demand to know why they can't have the same. Especially since their own government just endorsed the Egyptian protests. I think the Iranian government is playing a very dangerous game by endorsing the Arab revolts. It's far less likely that Arab protesters will want to replicate the Iranian revolution, than that Persian protesters will want to replicate the Arab revolutions.

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Armadinnerjad is going to support anything that goes against the United States.