On the street they chanted, ‘Death to the dictator’

The Times

The scene around the parliament resembled a war zone, not the seat of the people’s deputies. Thousands of anti-riot police, Basij — the “dogs of Khamenei” — had filled the entire area.

Several times groups of about a hundred people broke through the lines and chanted slogans in Baharestan Square — “Death to the dictator” and “Coup d’état Government — resign! Resign!” Within minutes the security forces charged, randomly beating the young and old. It was a bloody scene. At one point people from inside a shop attacked a Basiji who was beating an older woman and were beaten themselves.

In a nearby street about a thousand people divided into small groups. To my surprise about ten women dressed in black chadors chanted “Mojtaba, drop dead so that you can’t become Supreme Leader” (Mojtaba Khamenei is the son of the Supreme Leader) and “Death to Khamenei”. The Basij attacked them with batons and fired teargas.

Some of us ran into an alley. A middle-aged couple opened the door of their home and told us to wait inside. They were both religious, traditional people. He was an air-conditioner repairman in his fifties who had voted for Ahmadinejad in 2005. Now they cursed Ahmadinejad and Khamenei. She asked: “How can these people beat and kill our children in this way? All they want is a better life.” She broke into tears.

Back on the street groups as small as 20 were chanting: “Death to the dictator”. When the Basij attacked we ran off in different directions. I lost my friends. In one alley I found myself next to two young men who had also fled the teargas. “That SOB is not our president and I won’t accept him. Everything this coup government does is illegitimate,” said one. “To hell with Ahmadinejad and Khamenei,” said another. “This regime has done nothing for 30 years. Now it steals our vote and they beat, torture, and kill us.”

All the people with whom I was demonstrating, friends as well as strangers, insisted the resistance would continue. “We must send the message that Ahmadinejad’s stealing of the presidency and people’s votes is not forgotten,” said a young man. Another who had recently finished military service said: “We will settle scores with these people. We will not tire of the struggle.”