Iran protests: live blog
Protesters have clashed again with the Iranian security forces amid official celebrations to mark the 31st anniversary of the revolution. Follow live updates
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An Iranian opposition poster urging supporters of the green movement to take to the streets today (22 Bahman in the Iranian calendar) under the guise of official rallies to mark the anniversary of the revolution.
3.26pm:
More dejection from opposition supporters, this time from NIAC, a blog representing the Iranian-American.
The post said:
It's still very early to be drawing conclusions from today's events, as people are still out in the streets. But one thing I'm struck by is just how much the government has been in control today. Sure, they chartered buses and lured tens of thousands to the official government rally with free food, but they have also managed to keep the opposition activities largely on their terms today.
The government's strategy is to depict the protesters as a small group of rioting thugs, burning trash cans and disrupting order for their own radical, "foreign-backed" agenda. Toward that end, they have been very effective at keeping the demonstrations today dispersed and nervous...
Above all else, the ruling elites know the danger of big crowds: strength in numbers takes over and individuals no longer feel like they will be held accountable for their actions, thus their demands get more radical and their tactics more extreme; this forces a harsher backlash from security forces, possibly including using lethal force...
So today's events (like previous ones) have seen security forces disrupt crowds before they can coalesce into a large group, arresting numerous individuals as a way of controlling the crowds before they get out of the police's hands.
3.04pm:
Another new video purports to show a motorcycle belonging to the security forces on fire in the midst of a fairly large opposition protest. They are chanting "Freedom, Independence and an Iranian republic" (as opposed to an Islamic Republic).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebhVxFqOndU2.53pm:
A half-stripped man, presumably a protester, is shown taking a savage beating by a riot policeman in this graphic new footage. It was apparently filmed today, but as with most of these videos this is difficult to verify.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Padeshahi7000#p/a/u/0/Qpcj_MFKJTM2.30pm:
Mousavi's wife, Zahra Rahnavard, was attacked and prevented from attending a rally in Sadeghiye Square, according to an unconfirmed report on his Facebook page. She was able to leave the area after being protected by supporters, it says.
2.04pm:
Protesters were heavily outnumbered by those at the official rally, according to AP's Tehran correspondent.
The agency talked to some dejected opposition supporters.
"There were 300 of us, maximum 500. Against 10,000 people," one protester said.
"It means they won and we lost. They defeated us. They were able to gather so many people. But this doesn't mean we have been defeated for good. It's a defeat for now, today. We need time to regroup," she said.
Another protester insisted the opposition had come out in significant numbers, but "the problem was that we were not able to gather in one place because they (security forces) were very violent."
"Maybe people got scared. Today was not a good day."
AP's sources also confirmed reports of paint ball attacks on protesters.
Riot police fired paint-filled balls at hundreds of protesters chanting opposition slogans in Sadeqieh Square, about a half-mile from the anniversary rally, witnesses said.
1.46pm:
It's very difficult to know exactly what has taken place today because the accounts differ so sharply. Compare and contrast the following. First here's an account from a caller to Radio Farda translated by blogger homylafayette.
"I was in Sadeghiyeh and though people were not holding up any symbols, I think most of them were against the regime because they wouldn't respond to the official chants from the loudspeakers.
The security forces attacked the crowd violently, with cables, batons, and gas. Where I was, I can say that the 22 Bahman celebrations did not take place. I saw a small gathering of regime supporters and even they were dispersed by the police.
The people were beaten and I even saw some seriously injured individuals. That's what happens when you're attacked with chains. But no shots were fired."
Secondly here's state-run Press TV's write up of today's events:
Millions of Iranians across the country have taken to the streets to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Huge demonstrations were held all across the nation on Thursday in commemoration of the occasion.
In the capital Tehran, an extraordinarily high number of people from all walks of life marched across the city and gathered at Azadi (Freedom) Square to take part in the festivities. They were carrying banners denouncing the enemies of the country.
A few hundred of supporters of Iran's defeated presidential candidates also rallied in Tehran.
Supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi gathered in a western Tehran district.
Police stepped up security in the area to prevent possible disturbances. Defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi was seen among the protesters.
1.31pm:
There are several reports that protesters have been shot with paint pellets so that they could be identified later. One of Karroubi's body guards was badly injured in clashes according to an unverified account which also mentions paint guns.
1.11pm:
Those attending the official rally were given free food as this video shows. One of the reasons that 22 Bahman celebrations are always well attended is because of the freebies available.
1.04pm:
Protesters have been filmed tearing down a poster of Ayatollah Khamenei and then trampling on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx8FrobK6fI12.31pm:
The movements of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi are always hard to pin down on these protest days.
The opposition website, Iran's Green Voice, claimed he attended one of the rallies. "Eyewitnesses said that Mousavi appeared at the rally amongst ordinary citizens in a manner that made it difficult to tell him apart," it said. It gave no further details.
There also images circulating of Rafsanjani attending the official rally.
12.16pm:
Protesters have been filmed throwing stones and shouting abuse at the security forces in the video below. There also appears to be the sound of gunfire. We think the film was taken outside Evin prison in north Tehran, if you have more information please let us know (see 8am for contact details).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfmNgdFcqpA12.02pm:
The opposition movement has been trying to organise rallies in the main square in central Tehran at 4pm (12.30pm GMT), according to the opposition website Rahesabz.
It also reports that at least 100 protesters were arrested in the eastern city of Mashhad, and that another 20 were detained in the southern city of Shiraz in Fars province.
11.50am:
The scale of the crackdown is becoming clear. The security forces were lining up next to each other in rows eight men deep along the routes of the official rally, according to a photograph published by the opposition website rahesabz. This video also shows scores of police in riot gear.
11.39am:
Blogger homylafyette has been listening in to the callers to US-based ePersian Radio and translating what they say. One caller said listen to this and held her phone up to loud chants of "with God's help, victory is near. Death to this deceitful government."
Other callers have urged Iranians abroad to sabotage the Intelligence Ministry's hotline for informing on protesters.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a ceremony to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran Photograph: Caren Firouz/Reuters
11.10am:
Here are the main points so far:
• Hundreds of thousands of people have turned up for official rallies to mark the 31st anniversary of the revolution.
• President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a huge crowd in Tehran that Iran has produced its first batch of uranium enriched to a higher level.
• The opposition has also taken to the streets of Tehran and other cities.
• A massive security presence prevented protesters disrupting the main rally in Tehran, forcing them to assemble elsewhere.
• A number of protesters have been arrested, including the granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini and the brother of the former president Mohammad Khatami. Both have since been released.
10.59am:
Kalame, the opposition website closest to Mousavi, reports that opposition supporters have received threatening texts from the Iranian intelligence service telling them that today will be the last day of the unrest. The photo on the left shows an image of the text.
Similar texts have also urged people to inform on protests by texting 113 to the security forces.
10.45am:
On yet another video protesters can be heard shouting "Death to Khamenei". So far the protests seem quite limited in scale, the protesters also appear nervous.
The video below shows perhaps the largest gathering of protesters filmed so far today, but again the crowd is relatively small compared to the demonstrations last summer. They are calling for the release of prisoners.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNBLiRzkyUE10.37am:
Here are some of the key quotes from Ahmadinejad's speech, courtesy of AP:
"I want to announce with a loud voice here that the first package of 20% fuel was produced and provided to the scientists."
"We have the capability to enrich uranium more than 20% or 80% but we don't enrich (to this level) because we don't need it."
"When we say we do not manufacture the bomb, we mean it, and we do not believe in manufacturing a bomb. If we wanted to manufacture a bomb, we would announce it."
"God willing, daily production (of low enriched uranium) will be tripled."
10.29am:
There are reports of clashes in west and north Tehran, according to the opposition website Jaras. The first video of apparent scuffles between protesters and the security forces today has also been uploaded to YouTube.
It shows people running in panic after shouting slogans against the government.
10.13am:
The first video of protests outside Tehran today has emerged on YouTube. This appears to show demonstrators chanting protest songs in Isfahan.
And there is a report on an opposition website of a protest march in Ahwaz in the south-west of the country.
Back in Tehran, this video shows people chanting against the Basij militia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrFK4tUfOGghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJyscZsFUhE10.04am:
Al Jazeera's Tehran correspondent Nazanine Moshiri says she has witnessed opposition supporters chanting against the regime. But she said the security forces prevented them gathering at the official rally in Azadi square.
9.54am:
Human rights abuses against opposition supporters have been even more flagrant than previously thought, according to a new report. Human Rights Watch has documented the abuses which included extra-judicial killings; rapes and torture; violations of the rights to freedom of assembly and expression; and thousands of arbitrary arrests and detentions during the nine months since last June's elections.
There is more on a Guardian project to put faces to all those killed and detained in the protests.
9.39am:
Video footage is emerging of people chanting anti-government slogans on the Metro. Our translator, who shall remain nameless to protect his identity, says they are singing an old revolutionary song that is traditionally sung on 22 Bahman (11 February) celebrations. But they substituted the words "traitor shah" for "traitor leader".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFIB10ERT9IAnd this video shows state-run TV footage of Ahmadinejad's speech. The broadcasters cut the sound when chants of "death to the dictator" became audible.
9.35am:
The usually reliable Twitter user Oxfordgirl reports that protesters are now moving towards the headquarters of State TV and Evin prison in northern Tehran. You can read an interview I did with Oxfordgirl here.
9.25am:
This video appears to show numerous buses used to drive Ahmadinejad's supporters to the official rally.
Another shows protesters chanting "Death to Russia" which is seen as an ally of the Iranian government.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14UiLOlWYIk9.17am:
The first videos of the protests have been uploaded to YouTube (credit again to YouTube user onlymehdi who has been consistently fast in uploading such footage).
This video shows people chanting "referendum, referendum". The demonstration appears to be taking place in front of Sadeghieh metro station in west Tehran, near where Karroubi was planning a demonstration.
Another video shows people chanting support for Mir Hossein Mousavi.
8.57am:
The security forces are preventing the people from reaching Enghelab and 7 Tir Squares and clashes have been reported around Baharestan Square, according to an impressive new live blog in English and Farsi by astreetjournalist.com.
Live blogger homylaftayette has published a map showing the routes of the official rallies.
8.50am:
A full impromptu translation of Ahmadinejad's speech, complete with asides and reaction from the crowd has been posted on Twitlonger.
8.41am:
Opposition supporters chanting "death to the dictator" have just been heard by my Farsi-speaking colleague listening to a radio broadcast of Ahmadinejad's speech.
During the speech Ahmadinejad announced that Iran has produced its first package of highly enriched uranium.
Iran is now a "nuclear state" and had produced its first batch of 20% enriched uranium, AP quoted him as saying.
8.28am:
Riot police have shot at protesters in the Ariashahr area of central Tehran after people chanted slogans against the supreme leader Ayatollah Khameni, according to the opposition website Rahesabz.
The granddaughter of Ayatollah Khomeini, has been arrested according to Reuters, citing an opposition website. She is also the sister-in-law of the reformist ex-president Khatami.
The Jaras website said Zahra Eshraqi and her husband Mohammad Reza Khatami, were detained during the rallies. Jaras said the son of a leading opposition figure Mehdi Karroubi was also detained.
There are also reports on Twitter of clashes between protesters and riot police in the city of Isfahan, south of Tehran.
8.05am:
CNN is showing live footage of Ahmadinejad speaking in front of hundreds of thousands of his supporters in Azadi Square. This is state TV footage, but the regime certainly appears to have succeeded in getting out its supporters in huge numbers for what is the most important day in the Iranian calendar.
Meanwhile, there are reports on opposition websites that one of the opposition leaders Mehdi Karroubi has been attacked. His son Hossein confirmed that his father has been attacked by Basiji militia in Ashrafi Isfahani Street in Tehran.
Mohammad Reza Khatami, the brother of the former president, has been arrested, according to the opposition website Rahesabz.
In a further sign of the crackdown Iran's telecommunications agency has announced the suspension of access to Google's email service Gmail.
8.00am:
The Iranian opposition has been gearing up for another day of protests amid mounting international concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions. State television has shown images of tens of thousands of people attending the official rally in Azadi square to hear a speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The regime seems more determined than ever to stamp out protests and news of protests, as it celebrates the 31st anniversary of the revolution.
"Iran's security forces have adopted all the necessary measures in preparation for the day," the semi-official Fars news agency announced.
There have been more arrests, reports of Basij being bused into Tehran, and it has been ominously difficult to contact people in Iran, amid continuing restrictions on the internet.
On a practical level the regime appears ready to drown out the chants of protesters by installing loud speakers along Azadi (Freedom) Street, the route of one of the planned protests towards Azadi Square (just visible in the background of this picture).
The opposition website Rahesabz says Basij militia stayed last night in Sharif University close to Azadi Square.
The map below shows proposed routes of one of the rallies marked in green. The area shaded in blue shows where speeches may be held. The text asks protesters try to be at the square by 9am (6.30am GMT). But the official rally also appears to be taking place in Azadi Square, with Ahmadinejad due to speak there soon.
The opposition movement has been considering mounting two alternative rallies in northern Tehran if the security services block the square. One possible location is Evin prison, where many of the protesters from previous demonstrations have been held. The other is Jam-e-jam close to the headquarters of the state TV station.
There is a virtual media blackout in Iran which means that reliable information is difficult to obtain, so if you are in Iran and have news, please email me at matthew.weaver@guardian.co.uk or for a more secure encrypted message email me at matthew_weaver@hushmail.com and please post updates or interesting links in the comments section below.
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