Public meeting and discussion
7.30pm, Wednesday 1st July
at the International Community Centre,
Mansfield Road, Nottingham.
With Sam Azad an Iranian socialist based in Nottingham
7.30pm, Wednesday 1st July
at the International Community Centre,
Mansfield Road, Nottingham.
With Sam Azad an Iranian socialist based in Nottingham
The demonstrations that have taken place in Tehran since Iran’s fraudulent Presidential election results were announced on Friday 12 June have, up until Friday 19 June, been growing bigger every day. This, despite a government ban on protests, a shutdown of communications such as mobile phones and internet, the arrest of leading clerical, political and other people, clashes with the police and attacks on the universities. A dozen people have been reported as killed by the police, but it could be many more.
Let us be clear, Mousavi and Rafsanjani are disgusting pigs, who seek to line their own pockets, and boost their own power. But Ahmadinejad too, even if he has solid support among some sections of workers, is no friend of the workers. This is the regime which has systematically suppressed the trade unions.
On the other hand, those on the demonstration are our people, it is clear from the determination to fight, they understand that the electoral process and it’s result is secondary, is a populist sham, set up by the regime to politically manipulate the masses, that they need to fight for more, for full democratic and human rights.
What the Iranian regime fears most is what we advocate. That the workers, students, women and oppressed national minority activists will link up and begin to reshape society.
Let us be clear, Mousavi and Rafsanjani are disgusting pigs, who seek to line their own pockets, and boost their own power. But Ahmadinejad too, even if he has solid support among some sections of workers, is no friend of the workers. This is the regime which has systematically suppressed the trade unions.
On the other hand, those on the demonstration are our people, it is clear from the determination to fight, they understand that the electoral process and it’s result is secondary, is a populist sham, set up by the regime to politically manipulate the masses, that they need to fight for more, for full democratic and human rights.
What the Iranian regime fears most is what we advocate. That the workers, students, women and oppressed national minority activists will link up and begin to reshape society.
fraudulent?
30.06.2009 16:06
Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the actions of the government or the Revolutionary Guards. I just don't think that the demonstrations have been representative of public opinion in Iran, even if the BBC has portrayed them as being so. Veiled criticism of an election seems like a very hypocritical message to be come out of the international mouthpiece of a supposedly democratic country. Tehran is a very different province to the surrounding areas and what we are seeing is a conflict between different demographics, rather than a simple conflict between "the people" and a repressive authoritarian regime (which the Iranian government certainly is).
I don't mean to confuse the issue, I just think this situation needs a little more analysis.
bob