Posted on 06/20/2009 10:40:10 AM PDT by La Lydia
Iranian riot police beat protesters and fired tear gas as violence erupted in Tehran today when thousands of members of the opposition movement took to the streets in open defiance of the country's supreme leader....
The crackdown on supporters of the reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi confirmed fears that authorities would carry out their threat to suppress protests in the aftermath of the disputed presidential election...
Eyewitnesses in Revolution Square reported around 20,000 riot police, made up of Basiji militiamen and soldiers, and armed with rifles, tear gas and water cannons, far outnumbering the hardcore of around 3,000 opposition members who turned out today. The Iranian interior ministry today reitirated the warning issued by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at Friday prayers that Mousavi would "be held responsible for the consequences of any illegal gatherings". In a statement on its website, the ministry accused the 67-year-old former prime minister of supporting protests that "have lead to the disruption of security and public order"...
With severe reporting restrictions imposed by the Iranian authorities, the limited footage that has been made available on the internet today showed chaos on the streets, with helicopters flying overhead and dozens of injured protesters taken to hospital.
Some protesters appeared to be fighting back, setting fire to militia members' motorcycles in streets near Freedom Square, witnesses said.
Tehran University was cordoned off by police and militia while students inside the university chanted "death to the dictator!" witnesses said...
The key question now for many Iranians surrounds Mousavi's next move. He has become the figurehead of the opposition movement, but appears to have backed down from open confrontation with the regime in the past two days.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
AH-thanks for the info...they should OPEN it (probably no one is there) to accept the wounded and get them off the streets.
Perhaps he is considering staying at the WH as well, since uhbama is so set on not meddling (until and IF, of course, the people succeed! What a worm he is!)
>Their loud voices calling only for God is filled with fear, hatred, and hope.<
.
Will these same voices shout “death to the infidels” when this mess is over?
Sorry for my insensitivity — 9/11 is still fresh in my mind. I also remember ME students on American college campusses shouting with glee after the towers were down.
A few?
The whole lot deserve a beat down.
Thank-you!
Those people in the streets of Iran are the best allies that Americans could have.
I believe the Iranian people want a country with a constitution like ours. If they get it, let’s hope it doesn’t get trampled like ours is currently getting trampled. This is also a telling example of how an unarmed population can be brutalized by government thugs. Our 2nd amendment is as important as our first. We can’t allow the lunatics on the left take it away from our citizens.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.