Massive street protests have been reduced to sporadic demonstrations even as the rift between supporters and opponents of Ahmadinejad lingers inside the regime. On August 17, in Tehran, a city with a population of 8 million, an estimated 400 protesters turned out at Hafte-Tir Square to protest against the closure of the major pro-reform daily newspaper Etemad-e-Melli, according to Reuters.
Although the dwindling number of demonstrators is partly due to the violent crackdown in the aftermath of the June presidential elections, there are other factors that have led to the loss of zeal among the pro-reformists… During the 1978 revolution, on a day known as Black Friday, hundreds were killed and wounded but rallies involving millions of people continued until the fall of monarchy in February 1979.
