Beginnings of a greater war

A battle that marks the beginnings of a greater war for the future of Iran

Share/Save/Bookmark

Beginnings of a greater war
by From Tehran
29-Dec-2009
 

Sunday, 10:15 am…Enqelab Square,… Into the Karegar Avenue, tired and nervous.

I see a throng of security forces present in the Enqelab Sq. A view on the walkway bridge at the south of Enqelab Sq offers an intimidating view: scores of motorcyclists; units of armed police, wearing helmets and holding riot shields, crowd the square.

I pass the police, casually making my way through the crowd. Near the entrance of the University of Tehran, however, the pedestrians are stopped. “Turn back!” the baton whirling guard shouts. I move up the 16 Azar Street. Suddenly the guards storm the sidewalks. I run, along with a dozen of pedestrians. I feel one of the guards approaching me from behind. I see a baton. I run faster.

As I return to the Karegar Street, I am out of breath. I rest on a bench at a bus stop.

After the long minutes of uncertainty and fear, an anxious crowd marks a release of tension and seems to reinforce a sense of self-confidence. I begin to notice that people of all walks of life, of all backgrounds, cry out anti-government slogans.

“Death of Dictator!” “Montazeri, your path will not be forgotten!” “Hussain Hussain Ya Mir-Hussain [Mousavi]”. A group of Chadori ladies arrives. Beating their chest, they scream “Ma Ahle-Kufe Nistim, Peyro-e Yazid nistim [“We are not from the city of Kufa; we are not followers of Yazid”]. A middle age woman lies down in front of the traffic. The protesters gather around her, chanting, mocking the police. The traffic comes to a full stop.

I now could hear the thrashing of a battle raging front of my eyes. It is time. The dark riders (known as the Qods contingent) charge the protesters on sidewalks. Men and women of all ages begin to run away, though returning back immediately after the security forces drive up the Karegar Street. The motorcycle unit attacks and retrieves, a tactic used to create fear in an urban setting. During one of their attack tactics, they run after a group of protesters. Most get away, but a woman is caught by one of the guards. He punches, batons and high kicks the female protesters. She is badly beaten, down, motionless. The entire street seems to sink beneath my feet as my eyes meet the form on the pavement. I could hear myself breathing heavily. The female protester struggles to stand up, but falls again as the guard ceases to beat her with the baton, returning back to his unit. At another corner, a young man is beaten, captured and then take into a police van.

A lady in chador stands alone in the corner of the street, waving her hands into air. A guard runs to her, shouts something into her face, but she stands still, with a red face, continuing to wave her hand. There is commotion in any direction, at any corner. The situation is particularly tense near the Park-e Laleh (or Farah). This is the zone traversed by not only pedestrians, but also those who are at the park, now entering the scene by hearing the commotion.

The Keshavarz Blvd and Karegar Avenue are locked with traffic. Drivers turn off their engines. Standing near their cars, a number of taxi drivers cry out anti-government slogans, apparently with passengers showing signs of V—a symbol of victory. A man yells: “this is our new Iran and it won’t go away that easily.” When the troops finally cease their attack, many dozens of men and women, some wounded, stand in the middle of the juncture or in the surrounding area and wait for the next wave of attacks.

By noon the crisis abated and, as the anti-riot forces begin to use more violent measures to crush the demonstrators, the protesters become more belligerent. As I find a way to leave the scene in a hurry, the clashes come into full swing. Fire. Smoke. Gun shots. It is a battle that rages into the night, a battle that marks the beginnings of a greater war for the future of Iran.

Forwarded by MB

Share/Save/Bookmark

 
kaveh111

heritage

by kaveh111 on

 the regime has arrested more of its opponents in one day than it did in the last few months.  if this movement does not succeed, then it only has fed the regime those that it wanted, even among the ayatollahs.  we are fighting the last revolution, the regime has its sight on the next thirty years.  

this  is a battle for our heritage as iranians, also as human beings.  one more thing.  when the reigime says that they are fighting foreign elements  I have to agree.  they are fighting iranians which to this ungodly concoction is foreign.


Farhad A

Freedom is a process of

by Farhad A on

Freedom is a process of understanding, do not make the same mistakes we made in 1979, do not follow the leaders that have been tainted by the killing of people. Do not fall for the "religious leaders" appereances, imam hussien ali, muhammad, all these arab people are not messengers of freedom for persians, they are false leaders that you have no need for, nobody has seen them, all they are books and writings on some person that probably never existed, and now there are people listening to hypocrites acting as if they know them personally even though they have seen just as much as anyone else has. So what makes them so influential? Every religious leaders power comes from his followers, if he has none, he has no power, and this is seems to be the right time to do just that.

Muhammad Khatemi, Mussavi, Karobi - they are the same religious people who want to establish the same islamic law that khomeini wished he could establish, so they are no different, if not worse. 


Hovakhshatare

You are right. This is a war for our very heritage

by Hovakhshatare on

These are skirmishes and battles that will lead to a decisive war at a point in near future. I fully expect IRR to come in with tanks and machine guns to the street in a futile gesture of supremacy killing many...and that would their final act of tyranny.


AlexInFlorida

America Proved It Only Cares For Money... Not Human Rights

by AlexInFlorida on

Like anyone needed proof.. America like us has a great ability for Evil.

Ultimately they are not with a Free Iran and may never be.

The only reason Obama even mentioned Iran after 6 months was because his position of supporting Islamic Government has become unteneable, yet the government he represents still wants the mullahs and backwardness for Iran and many other places. 

He finds himself reluctantly and temporarily being forced to be seen to support Freedom... instead of willingly doing so.  So the great bastion of Freedom, America, is now The Palace of Corruption.

God Protect us and help us achieve "Freedom from deceit" that we so irresponsibly lost in 1979. 

"From Many One, One in the Service of Many."


Shazde Asdola Mirza

Excellent post and points: may the IRI join the Soviet Union!

by Shazde Asdola Mirza on

Every voice counts! Every action counts!