YOUNG IRANIANS HELD ANTI-REGIME, ANTI-LEADER DEMONSTRATIONS
\TEHRAN 10 Feb. (IPS) Hundreds of young Iranians demonstrated Friday, the eve of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, carrying slogan calling for the change in the present Iranian theocratic system and demanding for freedom of speech, according to eyewitnesses.
"Freedom of thought forever, forever" the demonstrators chanted, shouting also slogans against the regime’s lame leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i.
The meeting, started at nine in the morning in the Park Mellat (People’s Park), was immediately met with tear gas and gun shots from the security, Basij and the Law Enforcement Forces (LEF) as it moved outside of the park.
"A group of some 300 young people gathered in front of the Melat Park in northern Tehran to protest to what they called "the lack of freedom of speech", the agency confirmed.
"As the group was moving toward the Vanak Square to the south of the place the LEF blocked their way and dispersed the protesters", IRNA reported..
While some international news agencies as well as the official IRNA estimated the number of participants at 300, other sources said they were between 3000 to 5000.
Though IRNA did not reported of any clashes between the demonstrators and the security forces, eyewitnesses told Iran Press Service from the spot that armed riot police and Basij forces attacked the demonstrators, making more than 200 arrests. Other sources said between 500 to 700 demonstrators were arrested.
Police fired in the air and used teargas to disperse the crowd while the Basij militiamen dragged many protesting youths behind police lines, where they beat them up before herding them onto buses.
However, there was no report about any one being wounded in the clashes.
Analysts said this was the first time that such a large number of people gathered to demonstrate openly against the Islamic Republic and calling for the end of the regime with prior notice indicating the hour and the place of their meeting.
Sources said similar demonstrations, in smaller scale though, was also held in at least a dozen of Iranian cities, including Orumyeh and Sanandaj, the capital cities of Western Azarbaijan and Kordestan as well as Marivan, a large Kurdish town.
"Some opposition groups outside the country had previously called on their supporters to stage demonstrations against the Islamic Republic of Iran today'', IRNA said in its report from Tehran.
Iranian analysts said the call for Friday demonstrations was made by mostly pro-Monarchist organisations based in Los Angeles.
But other Iranian experts were confused. "The big question mark is to know the people or organisations behind this event", said Mr. Mohammad Reza Darvish, a Paris-based activist close to the religious-nationalist current.
"If the Friday demonstrators were not backed by some political organisations or personalities, it would backfire on students and reform movements", Mr. Darvish noted.
In fact, several Iranian students organisations, including the Iranian Democratic Front of Mr. Heshmatollah Tabarzadi and the Office of Consolidating Unity (OCU) have announced they would stage meetings and marches for today Saturday, separate from the official ceremonies organised by the government. ENDS PROTESTS 10201