Iran

Tens of thousands gather, defying crackdown

Article published on the 2009-06-18 Latest update 2009-06-18 16:23 TU

Moussavi supporters gather at Hafteh Tir Square in Téhéran, 17 June 2009
(Photo: Reuters)

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters flooded into Tehran’s streets Thursday for the sixth day of post election protest one day after hundreds of opposition figures were arrested in an attempt to quell dissent.

Leading opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Moussavi called on supporters to wear black to mourn the deaths of eight people, who were killed in clashes with the Basij, or volunteer National Guard, during Tuesday’s mass protest.

By 3pm, large crowds had already formed outside Tehran’s university, closed by the government since the weekend, and on the city’s main artery, Vali-e Asr Street. Moussavi was set to speak to the crowd Thursday evening.

Contrary to previous days, the march took place in silence, as black-clad demonstrators carried portraits of Moussavi and the men killed during Tuesday’s clashes. Moussavi continues to call for the cancellation of the election results.

Despite the Iran authorities’ best efforts to censor international coverage of the post election dissent, brutal images of police beatings and large peaceful gatherings have made it onto the Internet, testifying to the size and scope of what has been called Iran’s biggest civil unrest since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

On Wednesday, an estimated 500 opposition leaders were arrested around Iran including Reformist politicians Behzad Nabavi and Saeed Hajjarian and Former Vice President Mohammad-Ali Abtahi.

President Ahmadinejad was declared the winner of Friday’s election with more than 60 per cent of the vote, despite the fact that pre-vote polls had put Moussavi ahead.

In the two days following the polls, Moussavi supporters and police clashed in the streets of Tehran, setting fire to cars and dustbins in some cases. The demonstrations have now spread to other urban centres around the country such as Isfahan and Shiraz.

There is growing outcry internationally over the election results, though many countries are hesitant to overtly provoke Iran as Washington has evoked a new round of nuclear inspection negotiations.

French President Sarkozy commented on Iran’s elections Wednesday, stating “the extent of the fraud is proportional to the violent reaction… It is a tragedy, but it is not negative to have a real-opinion movement that tries to break its chains.”

Germany and Britain are more reserved in their language, citing "irregularities" in the election count.