[7:00AM Tehran Time]
A lot of additional videos are still being posted to social media sites. The following two are particularly troubling: security forces beating women and innocents:
[5:00PM Tehran Time]
What a day it has been. The boldest protests yet since the rigged election took place on June 12. While thousands of people protesting in Tehran and across the country was not unexpected, the level of denunciation of the regime of Khamenei, Ahmadinejad and their goons has been unprecedented. And as far as I can tell at the moment, the protests are not abating in the least. Rather more people appear to be pouring into the streets to lend their voice to the national yearning for freedom, truly representative government, and respect for human rights. They are showing no fear.
The regime simply cannot put a stop to this without massive bloodshed. They can’t wait for it to go away. It won’t. Today’s protests are even more of a victory than the Qods Day protests that took place on September 18, and to top it off, they aren’t even finished yet! They can’t hide the fact that the protests are going on, neither from the people inside Iran, nor from the outside world. Like an ostrich with it’s head in the sand, they have chosen to be blind to the truth of what is happening in Iran. Willful ignorance simply cannot sustain itself over time.
The protests have been going on for over 9 hours now today with no immediate end in site today. But no matter the final outcome for the day, this has been a solid victory for the Green Movement.
Check out this video (source Enduring America) showing Khamenei’s image being trampled. Such an act is unheard of in Iran. It is a strong metaphor for what is happening in the country:
When the end of this regime will finally come is not 100% clear. What is clear is that the end of this regime will come.
I have been liveblogging straight for 9 hours now. I have to take care of some personal matters, but I will be back in a few hours.
Feel free to post updates if you have them in the comments section for this post while I am away.
Long Live Iran!
[4:51PM Tehran Time]
Another video showing people denouncing Khamenei by name:
[4:28PM Tehran Time]
People boldly and openly denouncing Khamenei by name en masse! This is unheard of. This video needs to get out! Please share this with as many people as you can FAR and WIDE! (source Josh Shahryar):
[4:19PM Tehran Time]
Josh Shahryar reports people carrying placards directly denouncing Khamenei! This is generally unheard of in Iran.
[4:09PM Tehran Time]
Video showing protestors interspersed with vigilantes on motorbikes:
[3:57PM Tehran Time]
Reports coming in on protests and clashes all over Tehran and several Iranian cities. People are continuing to pour into the streets after several hours of protests. People are shouting out news to each other from the street to people listening by their windows indoors. This is far from over.
Reports of gunshots being heard throughout the city, but unclear as to whether anyone has actually been shot as yet.
As far as I am concerned, this has been a huge victory for the people of Iran and the Green Movement. This is the second state-sponsored event that has been turned on its head by the people, and used as an opportunity to voice opposition to the tyrannical regime. The genie is completely out of the bottle in Iran after 30 years of suppression by terror. This is obviously just my opinion, but I find it hard to see a path that will allow this regime to stay in power for long. The people will continue to use every opportunity to shove the point home that they no longer consider this government and a system that puts the most zealous Islamists in charge as valid.
[3:41PM Tehran Time]
A video showing a large crowd marching at Valiasr/Zartosht intersection, chanting “Marg Bar Diktator” (Down with Dictator!) (via IranRiggedElect on Twitter):
[3:37PM Tehran Time]
Yet another video of Karoubi from today:
[3:30PM Tehran Time]
Another video of Karoubi walking with the people today. People are shocked and happy to see him, shouting his name (via @madyar on Twitter):
[3:23PM Tehran Time]
Looks like Ann Curry of MSNBC has picked up on the events today. Bravo Ann Curry! Now please report as much of it as you can! Thank you! Quoted from a recent tweet of hers on Twitter:
Reports of bloodshed, tear gas, shouts of “Down with Dictator” in Iran. The #iranelection outrage is not over.
[3:13PM Tehran Time]
Video of riot police getting ready to attack the people (via @madyar on Twitter):
[3:06PM Tehran Time]
Video confirmation of Karoubi amoungst the people today! People are chanting “Karoubieh Ghaheman, beres beh dadeh Iran!” (Karoubi, the Champion, Attend to the Cries of Iran!):
[2:51PM Tehran Time]
People chanting “Obama, Obama, Ya ba Ouna, Ya ba Ma!” (Obama, Obama, either you’re with them or you’re with us!”), meaning you are either with the regime or the people of Iran. It is a message to Barack Obama from the Iranian people, basically telling him not to negotiate with the regime over the heads of the Iranian people:
If you’re seeing this, email this to Obama, contact your local politicians and e-mail them. Contact your news media and get this out there!
[2:40PM Tehran Time]
Another video, greens singing “Yare Dabestani”:
[2:31PM Tehran Time]
Another video from today showing people protesting strongly. Amoungst the chants: “Zendaniye Siasi Azad Bayad Kardad!” (Political Prisoners Must Be Freed!), “Marg Bar Toh!” (Down With You! [referring to Khamenei, Ahmadinejad and their ilk]), and “The Russian embassy is a den of spies!”. The latter is particularly significant because normally on Student’s day the regime rallies its supporters to protest against the U.S. The U.S. embassy is referred to by the regime as the Den of Spies. But the people are applying the moniker to the Russian embassy because of the blatant disregard shown by the Russian government for the will of the Iranian people when they stood firmly by Ahmadinejad immediately after the rigged election:
[2:24PM Tehran Time]
From @madyar, another video. Shows a person that has been beaten in the head, bleeding, being treated by people:
[2:20PM Tehran Time]
MikVerbrugge reports that 500 Basijis hold 50 Greens in buses. People are trying to free them but need more people.
MikVerbrugge
Iran #13aban URGENT at Shomali Majmoueh Shiroudi/500 Basijis hold 50 Greens in buses.Trying to free them. Need ppl.
[2:14PM Tehran Time]
Another video from @madyar. This one is confirmed from today because the person filming it mentions the date:
[2:06PM Tehran Time]
Another powerful video… wow! At the end of it you hear one person say in Farsi, “They are hitting the women, do you see?” (source: @madyar on Twitter):
[1:54PM Tehran Time]
Another video from today, people chanting against Russia for supporting the coup government:
Some pictures from Tehran today:
Source: Revolutionary Road Blog:
Source: @madyar on Twitter:
[1:31PM Tehran Time]
Video of people taking shelter in the parking of a home on Roosevelt Street in Tehran:
[1:20PM Tehran Time]
Josh Shahryar has confirmed that Karoubi left Haft-Tir square with bodyguards due to concern for his safety. So it appears that earlier reports that he was arrested may have been false.
At this time it is very difficult to confirm information that is coming in.
[1:16PM Tehran Time]
Unconfirmed video of protesters in Rasht singing “Yare Dabestani” (source @ArianIrani on Twitter):
[12:57PM Tehran Time]
MikVerbrugge reports people are chanting: “Our race is Aryan. Separate religion and politics!”
[12:48PM Tehran Time]
The first videos from todar are coming in (source: Green Revolution Blog):
[12:27PM Tehran Time]
Cell phone services are almost completely down in Tehran in an apparent attempt to prevent communications from the street reaching the outside.
Multiple reports coming in of brutal crackdowns in Haft-Tir square and Vali Asr square.
Caller to Mardom TV radio reports that it looks like an all out war is going on between the people and the regime forces. Brutal attacks taking place on the people by the regime. Another person reports being an eye-witness to Karoubi being beaten and arrested.
[12:21PM Tehran Time]
Unconfirmed: Report that Karoubi has been forced to leave, possibly been arrested.
[12:19PM Tehran Time]
Multiple reports coming in that people that have been attacked in Haft-Tir are taking refuge in nearby homes. The people in these homes are welcoming them and risking their own lives.
[12:07PM Tehran Time]
Reports coming in from Haft-Tir that plain-clothed vigilantes are taking people into side streets and arresting them. It’s best for people to stay with the crowds. Also, reports of more protests in more Iranian cities: add Esfahan and Araak to the list.
[11:53AM Tehran Time]
Reports are coming in that there are protest occurring in cities other than Tehran. Josh Shahryar reports that marchers are gathering in Mazandaran and Mahdi Saharkhiz reports that people are gathering in Shiraz.
There are also reports of an earthquake occurring in southern Iran.
[11:44AM Tehran Time]
Breaking News: The following was just posted by our trusted resource, Josh Shahryar:
Confirmed! Karoubi has joined the crowds! Confirmed!
[11:37AM Tehran Time]
About an hour ago the Revolutionary Road Blog (see earlier updates for link) reported that police are beating people with batons in an attempt to disperse them. Worse, the blog reports that shots have been fired in Haft-Tir square and that people are running into nearby houses to take refuge. One house is full of people that ran away from the shooting.
I have not heard anything about Karoubi being there or not. Nor have I heard anything about the whereabouts of Mousavi.
I stress that these reports are all still currently unconfirmed.
[11:29AM Tehran Time]
Mahdi Saharkhiz reports tear gas being fired in Haft-Tir Square, “over and over”. He is a reliable poster so it is likely true, but we will continue to seek confirmation. He also mentioned that some shots were fired that appear to have originated from paintball guns. I stress that I have no confirmation of this, but if it’s true then it is quite bizarre.
[11:22AM Tehran Time]
Getting conflicting reports with the report that tear gas was fired in Haft-Tir. Twitter user @jomhirani reports hearing that the Basij in Haft-Tir are not being aggressive, and are even being friendly. Some of them saying they are only their because they have to be.
I am looking for verification either way.
[11:15AM Tehran Time]
Unconfirmed: Reports of tear gas being fired in Haft-Tir square.
[11:07AM Tehran Time]
Revolutionary Road Blog reports the following live from Tehran:
10:15:Security forces are completely alert from Ferdowsi. They are equipped with combat helmet, batons and tear gas. Forces have taken over across the street of Enghelab from Ferdowsi. Forces of Sarallah are placed at Ferdowsi to Gharani street where the ministry of education is located toward the former Embassy of U.S. .The special unit have taken over the intersection of Valiasr towards the Enghelab. They are also placed at Enghelab around the University of Tehran. In allies leading to Enghelab, Basiji and plain cloth forces are placed, they are equipped with baton and combat helmet. Their age range is between 15-19. Yellow buses which appears to belong to The bus company are bringing plain cloth Basiji, they are mainly young adults.
از میدان فردوسی نیروهای امنیتی به صورت کاملا آماده باش مستقرند, آنان مجهز به کلاهخود , باتوم و گاز اشک آور هستند . سرتاسر خیابان انقلاب از میدان فردوسی تا میدان انقلاب را نیروها در اختیار خود گرفته اند .میدان فردوسی به سمت خیابان قرنی که وزارت آموزش و پرورش در آنجاست به سمت سفارت سابق آمریکا در اختیار نیروهای لباس پلنگی است که نیروهای قرارگاه ثارالله سپاه هستند .چهار راه ولیعصر به سمت میدان انقلاب در اختیار نیروهای یگان ویژه نیروی انتظامی است . به سمت میدان انقلاب و اطراف دانشگاه تهران نیز نیروهای یگان ویژه مستقر شده اند .داخل کوچه های منتهی به خیابان انقلاب بسیجی ها و لباس شخصی ها که مجهز به باتوم و کلاهخود هستند مستقرند . لباس شخصی ها را افراد کم سن و سال که بین 15 تا 19 سال دارند تشکیل می دهند.
اتوبوس های زرد رنگی که ظاهرا متعلق به شرکت واحد اتوبوسرانی است مرتب دارد نیرو های لباس شخصی و بسیجی وارد می کند اکثر آنان کم سن و سال هستند10:20:The Tehran University students, minutes ago, started marching towards the gates.
Minutes ago, the Tehran Uni students left the university towares the direction of the mass march while chanting “Down with Dictator. Per stand byers, there are tension and brief conflicts around where the march is happening.
دانشجویان دانشگاه تهران لحظاتی پیش حرکت خود از درب دانشگاه به سمت محل راهپیمایی را آغاز کردند. دقایقی پیش خیل دانشجویان دانشگاه تهران با شعار مرگ بر دیکتاتور دانشگاه را به سمت محل راهپیمایی ترک کردند. به گفته شاهدان عینی، درگیریهای مختصری در گوشه و کنار حرکت دانشجویان دیده شد.
[10:39AM Tehran Time]
Multiple sources reporting that Basij forces are blocking Tehran University students from leaving the university to join the protests.
[10:27AM Tehran Time]
Mahdi Saharkhiz reports that Tehran University students are leaving the university chanting “Down with dictator”. He reports that there have been some clashes. A family friend of his from Tehran reports “lots and lots of people coming”.
[10:10AM Tehran Time]
I just received a tweet from Twitter user @hawaiianbear saying the following:
Think about this for a moment. Obama appears to talk to the regime but is actually talking to the people of Iran.
This is an insightful thought, because Obama is a very nuanced and thoughtful president. I think it can be argued that he played a part as a catalyst in the Green Movement and people’s uprising in Iran with his powerful message of change. It may well be that he is indeed playing a double-game, seemingly addressing the regime while hoping that the people of Iran read between the lines. I stated this earlier but it is worth restating: perhaps he thinks that by removing the U.S. as a threat to Iran in a very public way, by removing the 30 years of bellicosity against the Iranian regime, he takes away the regime’s trump card and excuse for their radical anti-Americanism and their nonsensical focus on national security threats from the U.S. It makes it obvious to the Iranian people that it is unreasonable to keep chanting “Death to America”. It makes it absurd really. Without this threat, the regime’s reason d’etre largely vanishes and becomes obsolete. If indeed this is Obama’s intended consequence, and if (big if) it bears fruit, he will be seen as a genius.
[10:00AM Tehran Time]
Reports coming in that people are singing the revolutionary song “Yare Dabestani” and chanting “Down with the Dictator” from some Tehran schools. (Source @lissnup on Twitter).
@ArianIrani reports that people are gathering in Haft-Tir Square, which is now crowded with people and cars, waiting for Karoubi.
[9:36AM Tehran Time]
BNO News reports the following breaking news (source):
NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) — President Obama on Tuesday evening released the following statement on Iran.
“Thirty years ago today, the American Embassy in Tehran was seized. The 444 days that began on November 4, 1979 deeply affected the lives of courageous Americans who were unjustly held hostage, and we owe these Americans and their families our gratitude for their extraordinary service and sacrifice.
This event helped set the United States and Iran on a path of sustained suspicion, mistrust, and confrontation. I have made it clear that the United States of America wants to move beyond this past, and seeks a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran based upon mutual interests and mutual respect. We do not interfere in Iran’s internal affairs. We have condemned terrorist attacks against Iran. We have recognized Iran’s international right to peaceful nuclear power. We have demonstrated our willingness to take confidence-building steps along with others in the international community. We have accepted a proposal by the International Atomic Energy Agency to meet Iran’s request for assistance in meeting the medical needs of its people. We have made clear that if Iran lives up to the obligations that every nation has, it will have a path to a more prosperous and productive relationship with the international community.
Iran must choose. We have heard for thirty years what the Iranian government is against; the question, now, is what kind of future it is for. The American people have great respect for the people of Iran and their rich history. The world continues to bear witness to their powerful calls for justice, and their courageous pursuit of universal rights. It is time for the Iranian government to decide whether it wants to focus on the past, or whether it will make the choices that will open the door to greater opportunity, prosperity, and justice for its people.”
It seems Obama is walking a very, very fine line. By attempting to negotiate with the illegitimate regime over the heads of the Iranian people he lends them credibility they would otherwise not have. There is a possibility though that the pressure he is applying to the regime by NOT being confrontational with them will lead to the Iranian people no longer being afraid to confront the regime due to the fact that their is no imminent threat of an external attack. Is that wishful thinking? Probably too soon to say.
[9:18AM Tehran Time]
Revolutionary Road is live-blogging today directly from Tehran: Revolutionary Road’s Student’s Day Live-Blog. This appears to be the originating source of the information I posted at 9:08AM.
They just reported that there is a heavy anti-riot police and plain-clothed vigilantes present in Haft-Tir Square. This is very foreboding because Mehdi Karoubi plans to be there at 10:30AM.
[9:08AM Tehran Time]
We have unconfirmed reports coming in on Twitter that all roads leading to the U.S. embassy are lined with anti-riot police and Basij forces, and that the Russian embassy is surrounded by Sepah (Revolutionary Guards) and Basij. Clearly the regime is worried and wants to leave nothing to chance.
[8:42AM Tehran Time]
Before the day’s events begin to unfold, here are some videos of recent protests:
A video of a protest at Sharif University on November 2, a precursor to today’s planned protests, originally posted by Mahdi Saharkhiz in his twitter feed (here):
Three vids of raucous protests on November 3 at Tehran’s Azad University (source: Iran All Day’s Blog). People can be heard chanting “Allaho Akbar” (God is Great!), “Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!”, “Marg Bar Diktator” (Down with the Dictator), “Iranieh Ba Gheyrat, Hemayat! Hemayet!” (Iranian with values, Support! Support!) and several other chants:
[8:00AM Tehran Time]
Today marks the 30th anniversary of a notorious day in the history of Iran and modern international politics — the day that a group of students calling themselves Followers of the Imam’s Line stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took the staff hostage.
This triggered an ordeal that lasted 444 days until all of the hostages were released. This act lead to the severing of formal relations between the governments of Iran and the United States, and helped the most radical Islamist elements of the revolutionaries that overthrew the former Shah of Iran consolidate their power.
The repercussions reverberate to this day. I recommend the following article, by Muhammad Sahimi from Tehran Bureau as a primer on the significance of this day:
The Hostage Crisis, 30 Years On
While the mainstream western media has, for the most part, moved on from the uprising and subsequent conflict that has been going on in Iran since the rigging of the June 12th presidential elections there, a lot has been happening. It is the opinion of the author that this is because unless there are millions of people in the streets the mainstream western media loses interest.
The last major street protests took place on September the 18th, on a day designated by the government as Qods Day or “Jerusalem Day,” reserved by them for demonstrations in support of the Palestinian cause. The day was used by the Green Movement to promote the causes of freedom and human rights in Iran instead, with a popular chant being, “No Gaza, No Lebanon, I give my life for Iran.” The regime was unable to or reluctant to stop the counter-protests. I live-blogged that day here.
Qods Day ended up being the first day in which the people were largely in control, and served as a huge morale boost for the movement. Since then there have not been large protests in the streets, but there have been many protests in universities since the start of the academic year. For all of the month of October, the anticipation has been building for the next big opportunity to show the regime that the Green Movement is alive and means business.
It is now 8:20am on November 4 — Student’s Day. I will live-blog today’s events here as the day unfolds.
On Mir Hossein Mousavi’s Facebook page about one hour ago, it was announced that Mehdi Karoubi plans to be at Haft-Tir Square at 10:30. Mousavi and Karoubi both ran in the June 12th elections and both have been active since then in opposition to the coup makers.
I will update this page as I get new information.
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