Neda Square
Jewish Journal
23-Oct-2009

Everybody with a cause, everybody angry at a country eventually ends up in front of the Federal Building on Wilshire Boulevard at Veteran Avenue, waving a poster at passing cars, hoping for a honk. It may not be the most effective form of activism, but at least it tries to reach Angelenos where we live: in our cars.

Over the past nine months, groups supporting democracy in Iran have staged at least 30 protests in front of the Federal Building — and that is just the number of gatherings for which protesters sought official permission. There have been countless smaller, impromptu protests there, spurred by the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on protesters following the disputed results of the June 2009 Iranian presidential election.

The protests grew more fervent after June 20. That’s the day a young woman named Neda Agha-Soltan was driving her Peugeot 206 through Tehran, accompanied by her music teacher and another friend, all on their way to join a peaceful protest. The car grew hot, so the three decided to stop and walk the rest of the way. As Neda was standing near a demonstration, a member of the Iranian security forces took aim with a rifle and shot her in the chest. An amateur video captured the image of Neda slumping to the ground.

Watch the videos on YouTube, as millions of people have. Neda’s last words were, “I’m burning, I’m burning!” She died en route to Tehran’s Shariati hospital. She was 27.

There is a quiet... >>>

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