Opposition grows broader as protests, anger flare on the streets

June 18, 2009|Anna Johnson, Associated Press

TEHRAN - It’s not just rich, liberal young people anymore: Whole families, taxi drivers, even conservative women in black chadors are joining Iran’s opposition street protests.

They say they want something simple: their votes counted and their voices heard. What they will settle for - or push for - is a far bigger question.

It’s still too early to determine whether the street protests will morph into a solid political opposition movement led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s top opponent, Mir Hossein Mousavi. And some Iranians have expressed doubt about people’s willingness to sustain the momentum.

But in Tehran and other cities throughout the country, Mousavi supporters - from both the upper and middle classes - are sending a strong message.

“The government doesn’t care about our votes, but we stand behind them. Mousavi stands up for our votes and we follow him,’’ said Saham Boorghani, 26, who is close to Mousavi and an editor at the reformist website Iranian Diplomacy.

Boorghani is typical of the young reformists who initially backed Mousavi, but that support is growing to include grandmothers, government employees, and hotel clerks.

The last time Iran was engulfed in similar anti-government action was a decade ago when a deadly raid on a Tehran University dorm sparked six days of nationwide protests. At the time, they were considered the worst since the 1979 revolution that toppled the pro-US shah and brought hard-line clerics to power.

But the student-driven movement eventually fizzled, leaving many people more bitter but the system intact.

This time, though, the protesters are not just affluent students and youth. The middle class is also flooding the streets and even conservative religious Iranians are joining the Mousavi supporters.

Swathed in a long black chador, 21-year-old Saman Qahremani said she wanted to let the government know that many Iranians from all walks of life are angry.

“When I learned about the result I just felt hatred. They cheated us,’’ said Qahremani, who held a sign at Monday’s rally that read in English, “We just want our vote.’’

Municipal worker Reza Hosseini, 37, cheered for Mousavi as he passed through the rally in a convoy of cars.

“I voted for Mousavi in hope of a better life, more freedom, security, and relief,’’ said Hosseini, who wore a button-down shirt with stripes in Mousavi’s signature color, green.

“All the people I knew voted for Mousavi.’’

Nearby, a taxi driver shouted out his window: “Everybody should join! Don’t just watch, join!’’

A mother and her daughter, making their way through the crowd of thousands, said they had come because they could not sit at home anymore and watch what was happening.