http://ow.ly/fiJX
Sadly it did not happen in 2009 like we thought it would, but hopefully the social-media-impelled revolutions in other countries will help the Iranian people achieve their goal in 2011!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Twitter Revolution
From: June 20, 2009
Why Iran's Twitter revolution is unique
The government's tight control of the Internet has spawned a generation adept at circumventing cyber roadblocks, making the country ripe for a technology–driven protest movement.
By Yigal Schleifer | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the June 19, 2009 edition
Istanbul, Turkey - Before Iran, there was Moldova, which had its own (unsuccessful) "Twitter Revolution" back in April, when young activists used online tools to coordinate protests against the country's dubiously reelected Communist government. In Egypt, meanwhile, a new generation of activists has come to embrace Facebook and Internet-based social networking applications to protest (again, mostly unsuccessfully) their repressive government.
But new-media experts say that Iran's civil resistance movement is unique because the government's tight control of media and the Internet has spawned a generation adept at circumventing cyber roadblocks, making the country ripe for a technology–driven protest movement.
"This is a country where you have tens of thousands of bloggers, and these bloggers have been in a situation where the Internet has been filtered since 2004. Anyone worth their salt knows how to find an open proxy [to get around government firewalls and filters], knows how to work around censorship," says Ethan Zuckerman, a research fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society in Cambridge, Mass. "The Iranian government, by filtering the Internet for so long, has actually trained a cadre of people who really know who to get around censorship."
As the government has cracked down on everything from cellphone service to Facebook, Twitter has emerged as the most powerful way to disseminate photos, organize protests, and describe street scenes in the aftermath of the contested June 12 election. Iranians' reliance on the social-networking tool has elevated it from a banal way to update one's friends in 140-character bursts to an agent for historic changes in the Islamic Republic.
Only N. Korea, Eritrea, and Turkmenistan do worse
Iran exercises strict control of both the Internet and the mainstream media. In its 2007 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 166th of 169 countries, worse than authoritarian regimes such as Burma and Cuba, and only better than Turkmenistan, North Korea, and Eritrea.
And while 35 percent of Iranians use the Internet – considerably higher than the Middle East average of 26 percent – the Iranian government operates what has been described as one of the most extensive filtering systems in the world.
"Thinking that technology can only help pro-democracy protestors is naïve," says Evgeny Morozov, a fellow at the Open Society Institute studying the impact of new media in authoritarian states. "Are Ahmedinejad's supporters using technology to also mobilize? I'm sure of that."
Hamid Tehrani of Global Voices Online, a website that aggregates the work of bloggers from around the world, says Iranian officials may have contributed to rising power of social networking tools by temporarily lifting some of the filtering restrictions on them in recent months, apparently in an effort put on a friendly and democratic face in the run up to the elections.
"Facebook, YouTube and blogs were very important during the election campaign," says Mr. Tehrani, the Brussels-based Iran editor for Global Voices.
"Maybe they didn't forecast the consequences of easing up on the social networking applications. Now people have a very strong platform. They got used to using these tools."
Technology is only a tool; the strategy is what matters
Some experts, though, warn about overstating the role that new media and technology can play in organizing a successful protest movement.
In the Molodovan case, although Twitter and other new-media technologies might have helped in organizing protests against the country's rulers, the movement fizzled quickly. On the other hand, although the successful 2004 Orange Revolution was helped along by the use of the Internet and mobile phone text messaging, a Berkman Center study found that: "the Orange Revolution was largely made possible by savvy activists and journalists willing to take risks to improve their country."
You have to be careful about not being too enamored about technology," says Peter Ackerman, founding chair of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict in Washington. "It's sexy and it's fun and we can relate to it, but unless there's a strategy for creating loyalty shifts to the other side ... and a set of goals everyone can unify around, you're not going to get to where you need to be."
But while he cautions that it would be incorrect to credit Twitter and other new media with sparking the mass protests in Iran, Ackerman does see them as playing an enabling role to a movement that he says could ultimately be successful – particularly as it moves outside Tehran.
Why is Twitter so powerful? It's 'half-baked'.
As Iran approaches the one-week mark of election, the Iranian authorities seem intent on reasserting their control over the Internet. Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday warned that anyone using sites such as Twitter for political purposes would be subject to retribution.
"We warn those who propagate riots and spread rumors that our legal action against them will cost them dearly," a statement from the military force on Wednesday said.
But technology experts say that completely blocking Twitter, whose open-ended design allows for its messages to be broadcast from various sources, will be very difficult.
"The very fact that Twitter itself is half-baked, coupled with its designers' willingness to let anyone build on top of it to finish baking it ... is what makes it so powerful," Jonathan Zittrain, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and faculty co-director of the Berkman Center, recently wrote on his blog.
"And with so many ways to get those tweets there and back without the user needing twitter.com, it's far more naturally censorship resistant than most other Web sites. Less really is more."
Globalizing a local struggle
Mr. Zuckerman of the Berkman Center says the value of Twitter and social networking tools may be to push a domestic agenda onto the world stage.
"I think social media at this point is most useful at making that what is a local struggle become a global struggle. I think that is what is happening here," hesays.
"It is helping people globally feel solidarity and it's keeping international attention on what's happening. It's giving people a sense of involvement that they otherwise wouldn't have, and I think that's very important."
With Internet access in Iran now sometimes so slow and unreliable – due to a combination of heavy usage and government interference – as to be almost useless, Tehrani – the Global Voices editor – says Iranians may ultimately have to fall back on older technologies to do their organizing.
"In the end, I think the most important thing is like what happened in the 1979 revolution: person-to-person communication," he says.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0619/p06s08-wome.html
Why Iran's Twitter revolution is unique
The government's tight control of the Internet has spawned a generation adept at circumventing cyber roadblocks, making the country ripe for a technology–driven protest movement.
By Yigal Schleifer | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
from the June 19, 2009 edition
Istanbul, Turkey - Before Iran, there was Moldova, which had its own (unsuccessful) "Twitter Revolution" back in April, when young activists used online tools to coordinate protests against the country's dubiously reelected Communist government. In Egypt, meanwhile, a new generation of activists has come to embrace Facebook and Internet-based social networking applications to protest (again, mostly unsuccessfully) their repressive government.
But new-media experts say that Iran's civil resistance movement is unique because the government's tight control of media and the Internet has spawned a generation adept at circumventing cyber roadblocks, making the country ripe for a technology–driven protest movement.
"This is a country where you have tens of thousands of bloggers, and these bloggers have been in a situation where the Internet has been filtered since 2004. Anyone worth their salt knows how to find an open proxy [to get around government firewalls and filters], knows how to work around censorship," says Ethan Zuckerman, a research fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society in Cambridge, Mass. "The Iranian government, by filtering the Internet for so long, has actually trained a cadre of people who really know who to get around censorship."
As the government has cracked down on everything from cellphone service to Facebook, Twitter has emerged as the most powerful way to disseminate photos, organize protests, and describe street scenes in the aftermath of the contested June 12 election. Iranians' reliance on the social-networking tool has elevated it from a banal way to update one's friends in 140-character bursts to an agent for historic changes in the Islamic Republic.
Only N. Korea, Eritrea, and Turkmenistan do worse
Iran exercises strict control of both the Internet and the mainstream media. In its 2007 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 166th of 169 countries, worse than authoritarian regimes such as Burma and Cuba, and only better than Turkmenistan, North Korea, and Eritrea.
And while 35 percent of Iranians use the Internet – considerably higher than the Middle East average of 26 percent – the Iranian government operates what has been described as one of the most extensive filtering systems in the world.
"Thinking that technology can only help pro-democracy protestors is naïve," says Evgeny Morozov, a fellow at the Open Society Institute studying the impact of new media in authoritarian states. "Are Ahmedinejad's supporters using technology to also mobilize? I'm sure of that."
Hamid Tehrani of Global Voices Online, a website that aggregates the work of bloggers from around the world, says Iranian officials may have contributed to rising power of social networking tools by temporarily lifting some of the filtering restrictions on them in recent months, apparently in an effort put on a friendly and democratic face in the run up to the elections.
"Facebook, YouTube and blogs were very important during the election campaign," says Mr. Tehrani, the Brussels-based Iran editor for Global Voices.
"Maybe they didn't forecast the consequences of easing up on the social networking applications. Now people have a very strong platform. They got used to using these tools."
Technology is only a tool; the strategy is what matters
Some experts, though, warn about overstating the role that new media and technology can play in organizing a successful protest movement.
In the Molodovan case, although Twitter and other new-media technologies might have helped in organizing protests against the country's rulers, the movement fizzled quickly. On the other hand, although the successful 2004 Orange Revolution was helped along by the use of the Internet and mobile phone text messaging, a Berkman Center study found that: "the Orange Revolution was largely made possible by savvy activists and journalists willing to take risks to improve their country."
You have to be careful about not being too enamored about technology," says Peter Ackerman, founding chair of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict in Washington. "It's sexy and it's fun and we can relate to it, but unless there's a strategy for creating loyalty shifts to the other side ... and a set of goals everyone can unify around, you're not going to get to where you need to be."
But while he cautions that it would be incorrect to credit Twitter and other new media with sparking the mass protests in Iran, Ackerman does see them as playing an enabling role to a movement that he says could ultimately be successful – particularly as it moves outside Tehran.
Why is Twitter so powerful? It's 'half-baked'.
As Iran approaches the one-week mark of election, the Iranian authorities seem intent on reasserting their control over the Internet. Iran's Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday warned that anyone using sites such as Twitter for political purposes would be subject to retribution.
"We warn those who propagate riots and spread rumors that our legal action against them will cost them dearly," a statement from the military force on Wednesday said.
But technology experts say that completely blocking Twitter, whose open-ended design allows for its messages to be broadcast from various sources, will be very difficult.
"The very fact that Twitter itself is half-baked, coupled with its designers' willingness to let anyone build on top of it to finish baking it ... is what makes it so powerful," Jonathan Zittrain, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and faculty co-director of the Berkman Center, recently wrote on his blog.
"And with so many ways to get those tweets there and back without the user needing twitter.com, it's far more naturally censorship resistant than most other Web sites. Less really is more."
Globalizing a local struggle
Mr. Zuckerman of the Berkman Center says the value of Twitter and social networking tools may be to push a domestic agenda onto the world stage.
"I think social media at this point is most useful at making that what is a local struggle become a global struggle. I think that is what is happening here," hesays.
"It is helping people globally feel solidarity and it's keeping international attention on what's happening. It's giving people a sense of involvement that they otherwise wouldn't have, and I think that's very important."
With Internet access in Iran now sometimes so slow and unreliable – due to a combination of heavy usage and government interference – as to be almost useless, Tehrani – the Global Voices editor – says Iranians may ultimately have to fall back on older technologies to do their organizing.
"In the end, I think the most important thing is like what happened in the 1979 revolution: person-to-person communication," he says.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0619/p06s08-wome.html
Iran--tweets from 2009 snapshot
`
1. IranElection #tehran #neda Supportgroup for Neda on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/belinda.lafleur#/group.php?gid=109904078625from web
2. zoon_politikon: #iranelection On the streets, the chants have now changed to "Down with Khamenei. less than 10 seconds ago from web
3. behindthemusic: Ronald Reagan Speech At Westminster June 8, 1982 http://tinyurl.com/lp4mek Reagan "Meddled"#IranElection #IranRevolution #Neda less than 10 seconds ago from web
4. HedleyL: RT #iranelection PLEASE RETWEET - FIRST AID information in FARSI: http://gr88.tumblr.com #IranElection less than 10 seconds ago from web
5. artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there! #iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij#iran less than 10 seconds ago from web
6. Beachbabe1: RT Traffic cameras track crowd movmnts, SMASH THEM. Gov suddnly install 2000 cameras months ago? Maybe they expected. #Iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from m.slandr.net
7. internetservice: UN is useless! Never rely on the UN! There as oppressive as Iranian regime! #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
8. lappy63: TRUTH will win over DEATH! AMERICA IS WITH YOU! #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
9. RIGHTone: Block roads from shoulder to shoulder with debris and burn tires in the streets to create blockades and walls of black smoke! #IranElection less than 10 seconds ago from TweetDeck
10. artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there! #iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij#iran d less than 10 seconds ago from web
11. Parsis: NEDA, RIP. BASIJ, LUCIFER LAUGHS, HELL AWAITS. #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
12. blingtwiter: good night and god bless.. or which ever god you choose lol strength to the Iranians......#iranelection #nada less than 10 seconds ago from web
13. gap123: An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot. -Thomas Paine #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
14. lay2000lbs: @pixdaux RT ATTN new yorkers tomorrow (sunday), union square, 3pm! http://tinyurl.com/mlzwuv#iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from web
15. artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there! #iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij#iran less than 20 seconds ago from web
16. chukwumaonyeije: RT @artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there!#iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij #iran d less than 20 seconds ago from UberTwitter
17. Zpycer: Facebook Iran page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IRAN/18297877889 #iranelection #Iran #Tehran #Neda less than 20 seconds ago from web
18. artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there! #iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij#iran d less than 20 seconds ago from web
19. Aramoss: Twitition: Google Earth to update satellite images of Tehran #Iranelection http://twitition.com/csfeo@patrickaltoft less than 20 seconds ago from Twitition
20. IrElec09: New post: #iranelection http://tinyurl.com/mctzub Chaos prevails as protesters, police clash in Iranian capital #iran
RT The Iranian Govt. is saying the Americans are behind the uprising because of Twitter. #Iranelection [Ha!]
Blabbeando: @darrinbodner #Neda is allegedly the name of the woman on YT shot in Iran. Iranians are asking that her name not be forgotten #IranElection
cathyneth: @glennbeck We have it in our power to begin the world over again.Thomas Paine #iranelection #tcot less than 20 seconds ago from web
LookMaNoHands: "you can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire...Yihla Moja"#iranelection
angel1ruiz: RT @Tigrael:Her nme is Neda-means voice or call in Farsi.She is the voice of the ppl,a call 2 freedom.#iranelection
moskowitz: Ironic #CNN broadcast on cable news: "Breaking News Iran Unrest On Twitter" #iranelection #truetime less than 20 seconds ago from Tweetie
semisara:Re: #Iranelection from mom: Your dad wishes he were there (shades of this youth) and I'm glad he's not because he probably get into trouble! less than 10 seconds ago from
mard ba dictator" means "death to the dictator" - the demonstrators shout it very often #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago fromweb
rtirado: They arrested people with cell phone in hands on sight. #iranelection Tehran #gr88 less than 20 seconds ago from TwitterBerry
revolution021: Please get this to news co. her father was standing next to her, sorry to spoil your fathers day w/ truth
reSemblance: RT @Wiggs88: FOXNews is reporting that Iranian police are throwing protesters into fires. #iranelection #gr88 less than 10 seconds ago from TwitterFon
Democracy2009: I'm starting to panic! One of my friends were in the ral today but she doesn't answer her phone from 6p.m and it's 2A.M #IranElection
anhemi: @#IranElection: This is like the French Revolution. The people of Iran have had enough it seems.
potkazar: This is so hard to bear. More and more footage of killings is coming. Please save the videos before youtube removes them#
marcobresba: re:Iran: CNN and mainstream news outlets have been reduced to aggregators of new media (twitter, youtube, etc) What an amazing role reversal less than a minute ago from web
thehub: RT @mbelinsky: Youtomb.com -> list of videos taken down from YouTube #youtubefail #openvideo
unchiujar: #iranelection #youtubefail Youtube is removing videos shot in Iran, RT,get youtube to keep the videos less than 10 seconds ago from web
AegisShield: RT Amazed CNN reporters won't leave hotel rooms while "citizen reporters" are being beaten to get the story.#iranelection
http://photos-g-0.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs098.snc1/5189_1103277912699_1549278003_30430478_6925779_n.jpg
This is not about Mousavi vs. Ahmadinejad. This is about getting rid of the theocracy & the murderous and horrific Islamic Republic regime. AzitaA:
WE IRANIANS ARE DYING DOING OUR PART! WHAT IS THE WORLD DOING?#gr88 #tehran #tcot #iran09 #iranelection#basij #mousavi [standing by is not enough]
1. dtstallings: Reports of Basij waiting on people in front of Embassies, Shouldn't blocking an embassy be an act of war? #iranelection #gr88 less than 10 seconds ago from web
2. apachesofparis: Twitition: Google Earth to update satellite images of Tehran #Iranelection http://twitition.com/csfeo@patrickaltoft less than 10 seconds ago from Twitition
3. geneven: The most dangerous people in #iranelection are the government agents. Second most dangerous, the Obama bashers. less than 10 seconds ago from TweetDeck
4. MRJXNESBXRX: #iranelection http://bit.ly/cXv07 number 9 is so sad less than 10 seconds ago from web
5. criminalrecordz: Feeling helpless #iranelection? You can help, set up a proxy server so the world can know whats happening http://bit.ly/XPVkW less than 10 seconds ago from web
6. clneeley: RT @JKWinnovation: RT: FIRST AID INFO IN FARSI : مشکل پزشکی http://gr88.tumblr.com/#IranElection #Tehran #Mousavi #GR88 #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from TweetDeck
7. shawnpOwers: [Arab media and the Iranian Elections] http://tiny.cc/Xenz0 AND http://tiny.cc/uql0b #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from TwitterPod
8. VieSoleil: Full List of Embassies in Iran Accepting Injured: http://bit.ly/5Pipo #iranelection(via @1secondfilm) #iranelectionless than 10 seconds ago from web
9. nar321: RT @restlessrecords RT from Iran (cont): the university's doors were close, then they start shooting tear gas at us #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
10. restlessrecords: RT @tonytrainor The end of this video is very distressing Tehran protest, shooting (youtube) http://bit.ly/9f2xr#iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from twhirl
11. DominiqueRdr: RT @lotfan: Email from Iran: "We need help... make our voice heard, more and more. There's blood under our feet." #IranElection #GR88 less than 20 seconds ago from TweetDeck
12. cwilliamson32: @cnn Email from Iran: "We need help... make our voice heard, more and more. There's blood under our feet." #IranElection #GR88 less than 20 seconds ago from web
13. jacaphene: 8 uploading giagro.wordpress vids, more coming http://bit.ly/10mbiG #iranelection #gr88less than 20 seconds ago from web
14. jbookman: The brave rebels of Iran continue to reject repression, an update at http://tinyurl.com/df2ld2 . Great courage and sacrifice.#iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from web
15. djapollo2k: RT @Soroush_ URGENT! Police blocking people tryign to go to embassys RE: @ProtesterHelp#IranElection #Tehran #Mousavi #GR88 less than 20 seconds ago from web
16. othmuse: >>Fr Iran It was a nightmare, I can barely breath & my face is burning, Masood got shot in the arm & Shayan's brother is missing #iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from Twitterrific
17. square006: NYT: "Unlike the student revolts of 2003 and 1999, this movement is broad." http://bit.ly/109FJ4#iranelection #gr88 less than 20 seconds ago from TweetDeck
18. thefuture_00: am going to keep tweeting about the #iranelection even i u dont wont to hear about it this is history less than 20 seconds ago from web
19. toddbober: Remember how the Russians blinded the tank in Moscow in 1990. Throw a sheet over the front.#iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from TwitterFon
20. justme247365: MSNBC ignores IRAN today #GR88 #tehran #tcot #iran09
MyOpyne: #IranElection Pay attention!! This is a 30 year historical process (+). This event is not only about the election! less than 20 seconds agofrom web
OpinionatedGift: RT @Tymlee: Former Ahmadinejad supporters askin 'where is the president as we face our worst crisis in 30 years?'
@cnn RT @ivab: CHEMICAL BURNS for EYES: 2 gram salt/1 L clean water / SKIN: 5 g baking soda/1 L clean water #iranelection #tehran less than 10 seconds ago from Twitscoop
http://twitpic.com/7xlhl afraid of the net
DigitalEyePatch: #IranElection "government of the people, BY the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Abe Lincoln
hardknoxfirst: RT @bcoat "On 9/11, the world said we were all Americans. Tonight, we're all Iranian" -Daniel Mangrum
It’s no secret that social media’s played an important – maybe even historic – role in the Iran election protests that have swept the nation into discord and disarray. Many social media companies have made a contribution towards opening the flow of communication within and out of Iran, YouTube( ) included.
As we reported earlier this week, thousands of Iran-related videos are being uploaded to YouTube every day, revealing first-hand accounts of the crisis to the world. Some are incredible, some are eye-opening, and other shock you to your very core. We’ve included ten of these incredible videos, in a chronological order that helps provide context to the crisis in Iran. Be prepared, for these videos can evoke some very strong emotions:
Ben parr
[Reply:]
Georgia England 10 minutes ago
People may not realize but in Iran they overthrew the previous administration by the protests that were held for funerals for people who were being killed such as the young woman who was shot in the chest in the second to the last video. I used to be an EMT and very few people every actually see someone die despite the 1,000's of violent acts we are fed on TV as entertainment it is different when it is real. If you click through to the Utube video itself the doc's on the scene blogs about how she was shot by a sharp-shooter on the roof who aimed at her heart.
Although there is a natural impulse to respond to violence with violence "the end is enfolded in the means" and mass protest will usually win over brutal suppression or response to that suppression. The rare exception to this was in China at Tianeman Square but I think if we had twitter and ubtube then the outcome would be different.
http://twitter.com/search?q=%23IranFreedom#search?q=%23iranelection>
RT from Iran: "we students do not chant death to america we want the american constitution
. tool on CNN now...saying the uprising is not representative of the Iranian people. less than 10 seconds ago from web
[HA HA!]
1. RT taosmesa @Friday_ CNN astonished by volume of info on Twitter re: #IranElection. PROUD to be a twittizen tweeting for a#FreeIran less than 10 seconds ago from web
2. cellmedic: RT @infidelsarecool: Obama Cuts All Funding for Pro-Democracy Programs Inside Iran http://tinyurl.com/mr79fa WHY WOULDN'T HE?? #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from TweetDeck
3. endrunlv: @TerryNOTA60 If we let go of the things that oppress us..even our own misbeliefs and unforgiveness within;anything is possible #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
4. ruairi1338: RT Ahmadi, Ahmadi, where are you hiding Ahmadi. Gov spies on Twitter, where is your leader as our country burns? #iranelection #gr88 #Tehran less than 10 seconds ago from web
5. persianq: RT Obama "the world is watching" condemns violence by #Iran govt against its citzns http://tinyurl.com/nk6xbu#IranElection
1.
2. DunveganSF: ACTION ITEM: CALL EMBASSIES ACCEPTING INJURED TO SUPPORT THEIR ACTIONS & CONFIRM THEY ARE HELPING. http://tinyurl.com/lrdy2q #iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from TweetGrid
3. shamirkanji: President Obama: The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching #iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from web
4. jurassicpork59: #iranelection Iran Tehran Mousavi Think b4 you act and do not believe everything you see and hear coming out of Tehran. http://tiny.cc/K3aEL less than 20 seconds ago from web
5. bud_white: safiakhan probably iranian gov agent provocateur #Iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from web
6. NadsRants: is this going to be the 1st social networking powered revolution? #iranelection less than 20 seconds agofrom web
7. stephenesherman: RT @persianq Beautiful quote today: "Iran isn't falling -- it's standing up." #IranElection http://persianq.com/less than 20 seconds ago from web
hospital source - Tehran hospitals report hundreds of casualtys - #Iranelection8 minutes ago from web
Advice - Tear Gas - cover mouth/nose - remove gased clothes immedietly - wash face and inside mouth/eyes/nose with water fast #Iranelection9 minutes ago from web
Unconfirmed - The Army will not follow orders to kill the people - #Iranelection11 minutes ago from web
People of Iran - be ready to take people from the streets tonight and give protection - #Iranelection12 minutes ago from web
Tehran is burning with the blood of our Martyrs - The streets are full of dead - #Iranelection13 minutes ago from web
Tehran is burning with the blood of our Martyrs - The streets are full of dea - #Iranelection14 minutes ago from web
Mousavi speaking to supporters in the street NOW - #Iranelection15 minutes ago from web
Mousavi - declares results of 10th Presidential Election null and void - #Iranelection RT RT RT18 minutes ago from web
Today is the day of rekoning - the day of GHIAMAAT - Allah Akbar - #Iranelection20 minutes ago from web
Helicopters pouring acid on people from the sky - #Iranelection22 minutes ago from web
Mousavi - Confirmed - I have prepared for martyrdom - #Iranelection23 minutes ago from web
tonight to the streets - for freedom - #Iranelection RT RT RTabout 1 hour ago from mobile web
today the world can see why we want our freedom from fascists - #Iranelectionabout 1 hour ago from mobile web
Dawn is upon us - Allah Akbar - Let us pray together today - http://bit.ly/4dKQjX #Iranelection RTabout 14 hours ago from web
Google - thank you - NOW CHANGE YOUR LOGO FOR TODAY - Sea of Green - RT - #Iranelection RT RT RT RT RT RTabout 14 hours ago from web
The world must not watch us - you must all join us wherever you are - #Iranelection RT RT RTabout 14 hours ago from web
confirmed - Mousavi - SATURDAY is a big day for fighting fascism - #Iranelection RT RT RTabout 14 hours ago from web
confirmed - Mousavi - SATURDAY 4pm Enghelab Sq - HISTORY will be watching us - #Iranelection RT RT RTabout 14 hours ago from web
People of the world - Today Saturday 20 June 2009 - Iran will again make HISTORY - #Iranelection RT RT RT RT RT RT RTabout 14 hours agofrom web
1. IranElection #tehran #neda Supportgroup for Neda on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/belinda.lafleur#/group.php?gid=109904078625from web
2. zoon_politikon: #iranelection On the streets, the chants have now changed to "Down with Khamenei. less than 10 seconds ago from web
3. behindthemusic: Ronald Reagan Speech At Westminster June 8, 1982 http://tinyurl.com/lp4mek Reagan "Meddled"#IranElection #IranRevolution #Neda less than 10 seconds ago from web
4. HedleyL: RT #iranelection PLEASE RETWEET - FIRST AID information in FARSI: http://gr88.tumblr.com #IranElection less than 10 seconds ago from web
5. artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there! #iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij#iran less than 10 seconds ago from web
6. Beachbabe1: RT Traffic cameras track crowd movmnts, SMASH THEM. Gov suddnly install 2000 cameras months ago? Maybe they expected. #Iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from m.slandr.net
7. internetservice: UN is useless! Never rely on the UN! There as oppressive as Iranian regime! #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
8. lappy63: TRUTH will win over DEATH! AMERICA IS WITH YOU! #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
9. RIGHTone: Block roads from shoulder to shoulder with debris and burn tires in the streets to create blockades and walls of black smoke! #IranElection less than 10 seconds ago from TweetDeck
10. artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there! #iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij#iran d less than 10 seconds ago from web
11. Parsis: NEDA, RIP. BASIJ, LUCIFER LAUGHS, HELL AWAITS. #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
12. blingtwiter: good night and god bless.. or which ever god you choose lol strength to the Iranians......#iranelection #nada less than 10 seconds ago from web
13. gap123: An army of principles can penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot. -Thomas Paine #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
14. lay2000lbs: @pixdaux RT ATTN new yorkers tomorrow (sunday), union square, 3pm! http://tinyurl.com/mlzwuv#iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from web
15. artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there! #iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij#iran less than 20 seconds ago from web
16. chukwumaonyeije: RT @artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there!#iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij #iran d less than 20 seconds ago from UberTwitter
17. Zpycer: Facebook Iran page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IRAN/18297877889 #iranelection #Iran #Tehran #Neda less than 20 seconds ago from web
18. artsenr: RT Change your location & timezone to tehran to protect tweeters there! #iranelection #tehran #iranians #neda #basij#iran d less than 20 seconds ago from web
19. Aramoss: Twitition: Google Earth to update satellite images of Tehran #Iranelection http://twitition.com/csfeo@patrickaltoft less than 20 seconds ago from Twitition
20. IrElec09: New post: #iranelection http://tinyurl.com/mctzub Chaos prevails as protesters, police clash in Iranian capital #iran
RT The Iranian Govt. is saying the Americans are behind the uprising because of Twitter. #Iranelection [Ha!]
Blabbeando: @darrinbodner #Neda is allegedly the name of the woman on YT shot in Iran. Iranians are asking that her name not be forgotten #IranElection
cathyneth: @glennbeck We have it in our power to begin the world over again.Thomas Paine #iranelection #tcot less than 20 seconds ago from web
LookMaNoHands: "you can blow out a candle, but you can't blow out a fire...Yihla Moja"#iranelection
angel1ruiz: RT @Tigrael:Her nme is Neda-means voice or call in Farsi.She is the voice of the ppl,a call 2 freedom.#iranelection
moskowitz: Ironic #CNN broadcast on cable news: "Breaking News Iran Unrest On Twitter" #iranelection #truetime less than 20 seconds ago from Tweetie
semisara:Re: #Iranelection from mom: Your dad wishes he were there (shades of this youth) and I'm glad he's not because he probably get into trouble! less than 10 seconds ago from
mard ba dictator" means "death to the dictator" - the demonstrators shout it very often #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago fromweb
rtirado: They arrested people with cell phone in hands on sight. #iranelection Tehran #gr88 less than 20 seconds ago from TwitterBerry
revolution021: Please get this to news co. her father was standing next to her, sorry to spoil your fathers day w/ truth
reSemblance: RT @Wiggs88: FOXNews is reporting that Iranian police are throwing protesters into fires. #iranelection #gr88 less than 10 seconds ago from TwitterFon
Democracy2009: I'm starting to panic! One of my friends were in the ral today but she doesn't answer her phone from 6p.m and it's 2A.M #IranElection
anhemi: @#IranElection: This is like the French Revolution. The people of Iran have had enough it seems.
potkazar: This is so hard to bear. More and more footage of killings is coming. Please save the videos before youtube removes them#
marcobresba: re:Iran: CNN and mainstream news outlets have been reduced to aggregators of new media (twitter, youtube, etc) What an amazing role reversal less than a minute ago from web
thehub: RT @mbelinsky: Youtomb.com -> list of videos taken down from YouTube #youtubefail #openvideo
unchiujar: #iranelection #youtubefail Youtube is removing videos shot in Iran, RT,get youtube to keep the videos less than 10 seconds ago from web
AegisShield: RT Amazed CNN reporters won't leave hotel rooms while "citizen reporters" are being beaten to get the story.#iranelection
http://photos-g-0.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs098.snc1/5189_1103277912699_1549278003_30430478_6925779_n.jpg
This is not about Mousavi vs. Ahmadinejad. This is about getting rid of the theocracy & the murderous and horrific Islamic Republic regime. AzitaA:
WE IRANIANS ARE DYING DOING OUR PART! WHAT IS THE WORLD DOING?#gr88 #tehran #tcot #iran09 #iranelection#basij #mousavi [standing by is not enough]
1. dtstallings: Reports of Basij waiting on people in front of Embassies, Shouldn't blocking an embassy be an act of war? #iranelection #gr88 less than 10 seconds ago from web
2. apachesofparis: Twitition: Google Earth to update satellite images of Tehran #Iranelection http://twitition.com/csfeo@patrickaltoft less than 10 seconds ago from Twitition
3. geneven: The most dangerous people in #iranelection are the government agents. Second most dangerous, the Obama bashers. less than 10 seconds ago from TweetDeck
4. MRJXNESBXRX: #iranelection http://bit.ly/cXv07 number 9 is so sad less than 10 seconds ago from web
5. criminalrecordz: Feeling helpless #iranelection? You can help, set up a proxy server so the world can know whats happening http://bit.ly/XPVkW less than 10 seconds ago from web
6. clneeley: RT @JKWinnovation: RT: FIRST AID INFO IN FARSI : مشکل پزشکی http://gr88.tumblr.com/#IranElection #Tehran #Mousavi #GR88 #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from TweetDeck
7. shawnpOwers: [Arab media and the Iranian Elections] http://tiny.cc/Xenz0 AND http://tiny.cc/uql0b #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from TwitterPod
8. VieSoleil: Full List of Embassies in Iran Accepting Injured: http://bit.ly/5Pipo #iranelection(via @1secondfilm) #iranelectionless than 10 seconds ago from web
9. nar321: RT @restlessrecords RT from Iran (cont): the university's doors were close, then they start shooting tear gas at us #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
10. restlessrecords: RT @tonytrainor The end of this video is very distressing Tehran protest, shooting (youtube) http://bit.ly/9f2xr#iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from twhirl
11. DominiqueRdr: RT @lotfan: Email from Iran: "We need help... make our voice heard, more and more. There's blood under our feet." #IranElection #GR88 less than 20 seconds ago from TweetDeck
12. cwilliamson32: @cnn Email from Iran: "We need help... make our voice heard, more and more. There's blood under our feet." #IranElection #GR88 less than 20 seconds ago from web
13. jacaphene: 8 uploading giagro.wordpress vids, more coming http://bit.ly/10mbiG #iranelection #gr88less than 20 seconds ago from web
14. jbookman: The brave rebels of Iran continue to reject repression, an update at http://tinyurl.com/df2ld2 . Great courage and sacrifice.#iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from web
15. djapollo2k: RT @Soroush_ URGENT! Police blocking people tryign to go to embassys RE: @ProtesterHelp#IranElection #Tehran #Mousavi #GR88 less than 20 seconds ago from web
16. othmuse: >>Fr Iran It was a nightmare, I can barely breath & my face is burning, Masood got shot in the arm & Shayan's brother is missing #iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from Twitterrific
17. square006: NYT: "Unlike the student revolts of 2003 and 1999, this movement is broad." http://bit.ly/109FJ4#iranelection #gr88 less than 20 seconds ago from TweetDeck
18. thefuture_00: am going to keep tweeting about the #iranelection even i u dont wont to hear about it this is history less than 20 seconds ago from web
19. toddbober: Remember how the Russians blinded the tank in Moscow in 1990. Throw a sheet over the front.#iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from TwitterFon
20. justme247365: MSNBC ignores IRAN today #GR88 #tehran #tcot #iran09
MyOpyne: #IranElection Pay attention!! This is a 30 year historical process (+). This event is not only about the election! less than 20 seconds agofrom web
OpinionatedGift: RT @Tymlee: Former Ahmadinejad supporters askin 'where is the president as we face our worst crisis in 30 years?'
@cnn RT @ivab: CHEMICAL BURNS for EYES: 2 gram salt/1 L clean water / SKIN: 5 g baking soda/1 L clean water #iranelection #tehran less than 10 seconds ago from Twitscoop
http://twitpic.com/7xlhl afraid of the net
DigitalEyePatch: #IranElection "government of the people, BY the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." Abe Lincoln
hardknoxfirst: RT @bcoat "On 9/11, the world said we were all Americans. Tonight, we're all Iranian" -Daniel Mangrum
It’s no secret that social media’s played an important – maybe even historic – role in the Iran election protests that have swept the nation into discord and disarray. Many social media companies have made a contribution towards opening the flow of communication within and out of Iran, YouTube( ) included.
As we reported earlier this week, thousands of Iran-related videos are being uploaded to YouTube every day, revealing first-hand accounts of the crisis to the world. Some are incredible, some are eye-opening, and other shock you to your very core. We’ve included ten of these incredible videos, in a chronological order that helps provide context to the crisis in Iran. Be prepared, for these videos can evoke some very strong emotions:
Ben parr
[Reply:]
Georgia England 10 minutes ago
People may not realize but in Iran they overthrew the previous administration by the protests that were held for funerals for people who were being killed such as the young woman who was shot in the chest in the second to the last video. I used to be an EMT and very few people every actually see someone die despite the 1,000's of violent acts we are fed on TV as entertainment it is different when it is real. If you click through to the Utube video itself the doc's on the scene blogs about how she was shot by a sharp-shooter on the roof who aimed at her heart.
Although there is a natural impulse to respond to violence with violence "the end is enfolded in the means" and mass protest will usually win over brutal suppression or response to that suppression. The rare exception to this was in China at Tianeman Square but I think if we had twitter and ubtube then the outcome would be different.
http://twitter.com/search?q=%23IranFreedom#search?q=%23iranelection>
RT from Iran: "we students do not chant death to america we want the american constitution
. tool on CNN now...saying the uprising is not representative of the Iranian people. less than 10 seconds ago from web
[HA HA!]
1. RT taosmesa @Friday_ CNN astonished by volume of info on Twitter re: #IranElection. PROUD to be a twittizen tweeting for a#FreeIran less than 10 seconds ago from web
2. cellmedic: RT @infidelsarecool: Obama Cuts All Funding for Pro-Democracy Programs Inside Iran http://tinyurl.com/mr79fa WHY WOULDN'T HE?? #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from TweetDeck
3. endrunlv: @TerryNOTA60 If we let go of the things that oppress us..even our own misbeliefs and unforgiveness within;anything is possible #iranelection less than 10 seconds ago from web
4. ruairi1338: RT Ahmadi, Ahmadi, where are you hiding Ahmadi. Gov spies on Twitter, where is your leader as our country burns? #iranelection #gr88 #Tehran less than 10 seconds ago from web
5. persianq: RT Obama "the world is watching" condemns violence by #Iran govt against its citzns http://tinyurl.com/nk6xbu#IranElection
1.
2. DunveganSF: ACTION ITEM: CALL EMBASSIES ACCEPTING INJURED TO SUPPORT THEIR ACTIONS & CONFIRM THEY ARE HELPING. http://tinyurl.com/lrdy2q #iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from TweetGrid
3. shamirkanji: President Obama: The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching #iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from web
4. jurassicpork59: #iranelection Iran Tehran Mousavi Think b4 you act and do not believe everything you see and hear coming out of Tehran. http://tiny.cc/K3aEL less than 20 seconds ago from web
5. bud_white: safiakhan probably iranian gov agent provocateur #Iranelection less than 20 seconds ago from web
6. NadsRants: is this going to be the 1st social networking powered revolution? #iranelection less than 20 seconds agofrom web
7. stephenesherman: RT @persianq Beautiful quote today: "Iran isn't falling -- it's standing up." #IranElection http://persianq.com/less than 20 seconds ago from web
hospital source - Tehran hospitals report hundreds of casualtys - #Iranelection8 minutes ago from web
Advice - Tear Gas - cover mouth/nose - remove gased clothes immedietly - wash face and inside mouth/eyes/nose with water fast #Iranelection9 minutes ago from web
Unconfirmed - The Army will not follow orders to kill the people - #Iranelection11 minutes ago from web
People of Iran - be ready to take people from the streets tonight and give protection - #Iranelection12 minutes ago from web
Tehran is burning with the blood of our Martyrs - The streets are full of dead - #Iranelection13 minutes ago from web
Tehran is burning with the blood of our Martyrs - The streets are full of dea - #Iranelection14 minutes ago from web
Mousavi speaking to supporters in the street NOW - #Iranelection15 minutes ago from web
Mousavi - declares results of 10th Presidential Election null and void - #Iranelection RT RT RT18 minutes ago from web
Today is the day of rekoning - the day of GHIAMAAT - Allah Akbar - #Iranelection20 minutes ago from web
Helicopters pouring acid on people from the sky - #Iranelection22 minutes ago from web
Mousavi - Confirmed - I have prepared for martyrdom - #Iranelection23 minutes ago from web
tonight to the streets - for freedom - #Iranelection RT RT RTabout 1 hour ago from mobile web
today the world can see why we want our freedom from fascists - #Iranelectionabout 1 hour ago from mobile web
Dawn is upon us - Allah Akbar - Let us pray together today - http://bit.ly/4dKQjX #Iranelection RTabout 14 hours ago from web
Google - thank you - NOW CHANGE YOUR LOGO FOR TODAY - Sea of Green - RT - #Iranelection RT RT RT RT RT RTabout 14 hours ago from web
The world must not watch us - you must all join us wherever you are - #Iranelection RT RT RTabout 14 hours ago from web
confirmed - Mousavi - SATURDAY is a big day for fighting fascism - #Iranelection RT RT RTabout 14 hours ago from web
confirmed - Mousavi - SATURDAY 4pm Enghelab Sq - HISTORY will be watching us - #Iranelection RT RT RTabout 14 hours ago from web
People of the world - Today Saturday 20 June 2009 - Iran will again make HISTORY - #Iranelection RT RT RT RT RT RT RTabout 14 hours agofrom web
Iran snapshot June 20, 2009 --Mousavi's statement
Through posting these, I hope to show where we have come from and where we are today.
_____________________________________
June 20, 2009:
20 Jun 2009 05:20 pm
Mousavi's Latest Statement: "I Followed Them"
[Via Iranfacts]
"In the name of God, the kind and the merciful
Indeed god demands you to safe keep what people entrust in you, and to rule them with justice. [this a verse of Koran]
Respectable and intelligent people of Iran, These nights and days, a pivotal moment in our history is taking place. People ask each other: “what should we do?, which way should we go?”. It is my duty to share with you what I believe, and to learn from you, may we never forget our historical task and not give up on the duty we are given by the destiny of times and generations.
30 years ago, in this country a revolution became victorious in the name of Islam, a revolution for freedom, a revolution for reviving the dignity of men, a revolution for truth and justice. In those times, especially when our enlightened Imam [Khomeini] was alive, large amount of lives and matters were invested to legitimize this foundation and many valuable achievements were attained. An unprecedented enlightenment captured our society, and our people reached a new life where they endured the hardest of hardships with a sweet taste. What this people gained was dignity and freedom and a gift of the life of the pure ones [i.e. 12 Imams of Shiites]. I am certain that those who have seen those days will not be satisfied with anything less. Had we as a people lost certain talents that we were unable to experience that early spirituality? I had come to say that that was not the case. It is not late yet, we are not far from that enlightened space yet.
I had come to show that it was possible to live spiritually while living in a modern world. I had come to repeat Imam’s warnings about fundamentalism. I had come to say that evading the law leads to dictatorship; and to remind that paying attention to people’s dignity does not diminish the foundations of the regime, but strengthens it.
I had come to say that people wish honesty and integrity from their servants, and that many of our perils have arisen from lies. I had come to say that poverty and backwardness, corruption and injustice were not our destiny. I had come to re-invite to the Islamic revolution, as it had to be, and Islamic republic as it has to be. In this invitation, I was not charismatic [articulate], but the core message of revolution was so appealing that it surpassed my articulation and excited the young generation who had not seen those days to recreate scenes which we had not seen since the days of revolution[1979] and the sacred defense. The people’s movement chose green as its symbol. I confess that in this, I followed them.
And a generation that was accused of being removed from religion, has now reached “God is Great”, “Victory’s of God and victory’s near”, “Ya hossein” in their chants to prove that when this tree fruits, they all resemble. No one taught hem these slogans, they reached them by the teachings of instinct.
How unfair are those whose petty advantages make them call this a “velvet revolution” staged by foreigners! [refering to state TV and Khameneni, perhaps!] But as you know, all of us were faced with deception and cheatings when we claimed to revitalize our nation and realize dreams that root in the hearts of young and old. And that which we had predicted will stem from evading law [dictatorship], realized soon in the worst manifestation.
The large voter turnout in recent election was the result of hard work to create hope and confidence in people, to create a deserving response to those whose broad dissatisfaction with the existing management crisis could have targeted the foundations of the regime. If this good will and trust of the poeple is not addressed via protecting their votes, or if they cannot react in a civil manner to claim their rights, the responsibility of the dangerous routs ahead will be on the shoulders of those who do not tolerate civil protests. If the large volume of cheating and vote rigging, which has set fire to the hays of people’s anger, is expressed as the evidence of fairness, the republican nature of the state will be killed and in practice, the ideology that Islam and Republicanism are incompatible will be proven.
This outcome will make two groups happy: One, those who since the beginning of revolution stood against Imam and called the Islamic state a dictatorship of the elite who want to take people to heaven by force; and the other, those who in defending the human rights, consider religion and Islam against republicanism. Imam’s fantastic art was to neutralize these dichotomies. I had come to focus on Imam’s approach to neutralize the burgeoning magic of these. Now, by confirming the results of election, by limiting the extent of investigation in a manner that the outcome will not be changed, even though in more than 170 branches the number of cast votes was more than 100% of eligible voters of the riding, the heads of the state have accepted the responsibility of what has happened during the election.
In these conditions, we are asked to follow our complaints via the Guardian council, while this council has proven its bias, not only before and during, but also after the election. The first principle of judgment is to be impartial. I, continue to strongly believe that the request for annulling the vote and repeating the election is a definite right that has to be considered by impartial and nationally trusted delegation. Not to dismiss the results of this investigation a priori, or to prevent people from demonstration by threatening them to bloodshed. Nor to unleash the Intelligence ministry’s plain clothes forces on people’s lives to disperse crowds by intimidation and inflammation, instead of responding to people’s legitimate questions, and then blaming the bloodshed on others.
As I am looking at the scene, I see it set for advancing a new political agenda that spreads beyond the objective of installing an unwanted government. As a companion who has seen the beauties of your green wave, I will never allow any one’s life endangered because of my actions. At the same time, I remain undeterred on my demand for annulling the election and demanding people’s rights. Despite my limited abilities, I believe that your motivation and creativity can pursue your legitimate demands in new civil manners.
Be sure that I will always stand with you. What this brother of yours recommends, especially to the dear youth, in terms of finding new solutions is to not allow liars and cheater steal your flag of defense of Islamic state, and foreigners rip the treasures of the Islamic republic which are your inheritance of the blood of your decent fathers. By trust in God, and hope for the future, and leaning on the strength of social movements, claim your rights in the frameworks of the existing constitution, based on principle of non-violence.
In this, we are not confronting the Basij. Basiji is our brother. In this we are not confronting the revolutionary guard. The guard is the keeper of our revolution. We are not confronting the army, the army is the keeper of our borders. These organs are the keepers of our independence, freedom and our Islamic republic. We are confronting deception and lies, we want to reform them, a reform by return to the pure principles of revolution.
We advise the authorities, to calm down the streets. Based on article 27 of the constitution, not only provide space for peaceful protest, but also encourage such gatherings. The state TV should stop badmouthing and taking sides. Before voices turn into shouting, let them be heard in reasonable debates. Let the press criticize, and write the news as they happen. In one word, create a free space for people to express their agreements and disagreements. Let those who want, say “takbeer” and don’t consider it opposition. It is clear that in this case, there won’t be a need for security forces on the streets, and we won’t have to face pictures and hear news that break the heart of anyone who loves the country and the revolution.
Your brother and companion Mir Hossein Mousavi
(Photo: A supporter of Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi shows her hand covered in the blood of a wounded person during a demonstration on June 20, 2009 in Tehran, Iran. Thousands of Iranians clashed with police as they defied an ultimatum from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for an end to protests over last week's disputed presidential election results. Iranian police have tried to break up protest using water cannon, tear gas, batons and live rounds. Getty.)
_____________________________________
June 20, 2009:
20 Jun 2009 05:20 pm
Mousavi's Latest Statement: "I Followed Them"
[Via Iranfacts]
"In the name of God, the kind and the merciful
Indeed god demands you to safe keep what people entrust in you, and to rule them with justice. [this a verse of Koran]
Respectable and intelligent people of Iran, These nights and days, a pivotal moment in our history is taking place. People ask each other: “what should we do?, which way should we go?”. It is my duty to share with you what I believe, and to learn from you, may we never forget our historical task and not give up on the duty we are given by the destiny of times and generations.
30 years ago, in this country a revolution became victorious in the name of Islam, a revolution for freedom, a revolution for reviving the dignity of men, a revolution for truth and justice. In those times, especially when our enlightened Imam [Khomeini] was alive, large amount of lives and matters were invested to legitimize this foundation and many valuable achievements were attained. An unprecedented enlightenment captured our society, and our people reached a new life where they endured the hardest of hardships with a sweet taste. What this people gained was dignity and freedom and a gift of the life of the pure ones [i.e. 12 Imams of Shiites]. I am certain that those who have seen those days will not be satisfied with anything less. Had we as a people lost certain talents that we were unable to experience that early spirituality? I had come to say that that was not the case. It is not late yet, we are not far from that enlightened space yet.
I had come to show that it was possible to live spiritually while living in a modern world. I had come to repeat Imam’s warnings about fundamentalism. I had come to say that evading the law leads to dictatorship; and to remind that paying attention to people’s dignity does not diminish the foundations of the regime, but strengthens it.
I had come to say that people wish honesty and integrity from their servants, and that many of our perils have arisen from lies. I had come to say that poverty and backwardness, corruption and injustice were not our destiny. I had come to re-invite to the Islamic revolution, as it had to be, and Islamic republic as it has to be. In this invitation, I was not charismatic [articulate], but the core message of revolution was so appealing that it surpassed my articulation and excited the young generation who had not seen those days to recreate scenes which we had not seen since the days of revolution[1979] and the sacred defense. The people’s movement chose green as its symbol. I confess that in this, I followed them.
And a generation that was accused of being removed from religion, has now reached “God is Great”, “Victory’s of God and victory’s near”, “Ya hossein” in their chants to prove that when this tree fruits, they all resemble. No one taught hem these slogans, they reached them by the teachings of instinct.
How unfair are those whose petty advantages make them call this a “velvet revolution” staged by foreigners! [refering to state TV and Khameneni, perhaps!] But as you know, all of us were faced with deception and cheatings when we claimed to revitalize our nation and realize dreams that root in the hearts of young and old. And that which we had predicted will stem from evading law [dictatorship], realized soon in the worst manifestation.
The large voter turnout in recent election was the result of hard work to create hope and confidence in people, to create a deserving response to those whose broad dissatisfaction with the existing management crisis could have targeted the foundations of the regime. If this good will and trust of the poeple is not addressed via protecting their votes, or if they cannot react in a civil manner to claim their rights, the responsibility of the dangerous routs ahead will be on the shoulders of those who do not tolerate civil protests. If the large volume of cheating and vote rigging, which has set fire to the hays of people’s anger, is expressed as the evidence of fairness, the republican nature of the state will be killed and in practice, the ideology that Islam and Republicanism are incompatible will be proven.
This outcome will make two groups happy: One, those who since the beginning of revolution stood against Imam and called the Islamic state a dictatorship of the elite who want to take people to heaven by force; and the other, those who in defending the human rights, consider religion and Islam against republicanism. Imam’s fantastic art was to neutralize these dichotomies. I had come to focus on Imam’s approach to neutralize the burgeoning magic of these. Now, by confirming the results of election, by limiting the extent of investigation in a manner that the outcome will not be changed, even though in more than 170 branches the number of cast votes was more than 100% of eligible voters of the riding, the heads of the state have accepted the responsibility of what has happened during the election.
In these conditions, we are asked to follow our complaints via the Guardian council, while this council has proven its bias, not only before and during, but also after the election. The first principle of judgment is to be impartial. I, continue to strongly believe that the request for annulling the vote and repeating the election is a definite right that has to be considered by impartial and nationally trusted delegation. Not to dismiss the results of this investigation a priori, or to prevent people from demonstration by threatening them to bloodshed. Nor to unleash the Intelligence ministry’s plain clothes forces on people’s lives to disperse crowds by intimidation and inflammation, instead of responding to people’s legitimate questions, and then blaming the bloodshed on others.
As I am looking at the scene, I see it set for advancing a new political agenda that spreads beyond the objective of installing an unwanted government. As a companion who has seen the beauties of your green wave, I will never allow any one’s life endangered because of my actions. At the same time, I remain undeterred on my demand for annulling the election and demanding people’s rights. Despite my limited abilities, I believe that your motivation and creativity can pursue your legitimate demands in new civil manners.
Be sure that I will always stand with you. What this brother of yours recommends, especially to the dear youth, in terms of finding new solutions is to not allow liars and cheater steal your flag of defense of Islamic state, and foreigners rip the treasures of the Islamic republic which are your inheritance of the blood of your decent fathers. By trust in God, and hope for the future, and leaning on the strength of social movements, claim your rights in the frameworks of the existing constitution, based on principle of non-violence.
In this, we are not confronting the Basij. Basiji is our brother. In this we are not confronting the revolutionary guard. The guard is the keeper of our revolution. We are not confronting the army, the army is the keeper of our borders. These organs are the keepers of our independence, freedom and our Islamic republic. We are confronting deception and lies, we want to reform them, a reform by return to the pure principles of revolution.
We advise the authorities, to calm down the streets. Based on article 27 of the constitution, not only provide space for peaceful protest, but also encourage such gatherings. The state TV should stop badmouthing and taking sides. Before voices turn into shouting, let them be heard in reasonable debates. Let the press criticize, and write the news as they happen. In one word, create a free space for people to express their agreements and disagreements. Let those who want, say “takbeer” and don’t consider it opposition. It is clear that in this case, there won’t be a need for security forces on the streets, and we won’t have to face pictures and hear news that break the heart of anyone who loves the country and the revolution.
Your brother and companion Mir Hossein Mousavi
(Photo: A supporter of Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi shows her hand covered in the blood of a wounded person during a demonstration on June 20, 2009 in Tehran, Iran. Thousands of Iranians clashed with police as they defied an ultimatum from supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for an end to protests over last week's disputed presidential election results. Iranian police have tried to break up protest using water cannon, tear gas, batons and live rounds. Getty.)
Iran: June 20, 2009
A Supreme Leader Loses His Aura as Iranians Flock to the Streets
By ROGER COHEN
Published: June 20, 2009
TEHRAN — The Iranian police commander, in green uniform, walked up Komak Hospital Alley with arms raised and his small unit at his side. “I swear to God,” he shouted at the protesters facing him, “I have children, I have a wife, I don’t want to beat people. Please go home.”
A man at my side threw a rock at him. The commander, unflinching, continued to plead. There were chants of “Join us! Join us!” The unit retreated toward Revolution Street, where vast crowds eddied back and forth confronted by baton-wielding Basij militia and black-clad riot police officers on motorbikes.
Dark smoke billowed over this vast city in the late afternoon. Motorbikes were set on fire, sending bursts of bright flame skyward. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, had used his Friday sermon to declare high noon in Tehran, warning of “bloodshed and chaos” if protests over a disputed election persisted.
He got both on Saturday — and saw the hitherto sacrosanct authority of his office challenged as never before since the 1979 revolution birthed the Islamic Republic and conceived for it a leadership post standing at the very flank of the Prophet. A multitude of Iranians took their fight through a holy breach on Saturday from which there appears to be scant turning back.
Khamenei has taken a radical risk. He has factionalized himself, so losing the arbiter’s lofty garb, by aligning himself with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against both Mir Hussein Moussavi, the opposition leader, and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a founding father of the revolution.
He has taunted millions of Iranians by praising their unprecedented participation in an election many now view as a ballot-box putsch. He has ridiculed the notion that an official inquiry into the vote might yield a different result. He has tried pathos and he has tried pounding his lectern. In short, he has lost his aura.
The taboo-breaking response was unequivocal. It’s funny how people’s obsessions come back to bite them. I’ve been hearing about Khamenei’s fear of “velvet revolutions” for months now. There was nothing velvet about Saturday’s clashes. In fact, the initial quest to have Moussavi’s votes properly counted and Ahmadinejad unseated has shifted to a broader confrontation with the regime itself.
Garbage burned. Crowds bayed. Smoke from tear gas swirled. Hurled bricks sent phalanxes of police, some with automatic rifles, into retreat to the accompaniment of cheers. Early afternoon rumors that the rally for Moussavi had been canceled yielded to the reality of violent confrontation.
I don’t know where this uprising is leading. I do know some police units are wavering. That commander talking about his family was not alone. There were other policemen complaining about the unruly Basij. Some security forces just stood and watched. “All together, all together, don’t be scared,” the crowd shouted.
I also know that Iran’s women stand in the vanguard. For days now, I’ve seen them urging less courageous men on. I’ve seen them get beaten and return to the fray. “Why are you sitting there?” one shouted at a couple of men perched on the sidewalk on Saturday. “Get up! Get up!”
Another green-eyed woman, Mahin, aged 52, staggered into an alley clutching her face and in tears. Then, against the urging of those around her, she limped back into the crowd moving west toward Freedom Square. Cries of “Death to the dictator!” and “We want liberty!” accompanied her.
There were people of all ages. I saw an old man on crutches, middle-aged office workers and bands of teenagers. Unlike the student revolts of 2003 and 1999, this movement is broad.<
“Can’t the United Nations help us?” one woman asked me. I said I doubted that very much. “So,” she said, “we are on our own.”
The world is watching, and technology is connecting, and the West is sending what signals it can, but in the end that is true. Iranians have fought this lonely fight for a long time: to be free, to have a measure of democracy.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Islamic revolution, understood that, weaving a little plurality into an authoritarian system. That pluralism has ebbed and flowed since 1979 — mainly the former — but last week it was crushed with blunt brutality. That is why a whole new generation of Iranians, their intelligence insulted, has risen.
I’d say the momentum is with them for now. At moments on Saturday, Khamenei’s authority, which is that of the Islamic Republic itself, seemed fragile. The revolutionary authorities have always mocked the cancer-ridden Shah ceding before an uprising, and vowed never to bend in the same way. But they are facing a swelling test.
Just off Revolution Street, I walked into a pall of tear gas. I’d lit a cigarette minutes before — not a habit but a need — and a young man collapsed into me shouting: “Blow smoke in my face.” Smoke dispels the effects of the gas to some degree.
I did what I could and he said “We are with you” in English and with my colleague we tumbled into a dead end — Tehran is full of them — running from the searing gas and police. I gasped and fell through a door into an apartment building where somebody had lit a small fire in a dish to relieve the stinging.
There were about 20 of us gathered there, eyes running, hearts racing. A 19-year-old student was nursing his left leg, struck by a militiaman with an electric-shock-delivering baton. “No way we are turning back,” said a friend of his as he massaged that wounded leg.
Later, we moved north, tentatively, watching police lash out from time to time, reaching Victory Square where a pitched battle was in progress. Young men were breaking bricks and stones to the right size for hurling. Crowds gathered on overpasses, filming and cheering the protesters. A car burst into flames. Back and forth the crowd surged, confronted by less-than-convincing police units.
I looked up through the smoke and saw a poster of the stern visage of Khomeini above the words, “Islam is the religion of freedom.”
Later, as night fell over the tumultuous capital, from rooftops across the city, the defiant sound of “Allah-u-Akbar” — “God is Great” — went up yet again, as it has every night since the fraudulent election, but on Saturday it seemed stronger. The same cry was heard in 1979, only for one form of absolutism to yield to another. Iran has waited long enough to be free.
Iran June 20, 2009
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/saturday-updates-on-irans-disputed-election/>
________________________________________
June 20, 2009, 7:16 am
Saturday: Updates on Iran’s Disputed Election
By Robert Mackey
To supplement reporting by New York Times journalists inside Iran on Saturday, The Lede will continue to track the aftermath of Iran’s disputed presidential election online, as we have for the last several days. Please refresh this page throughout the day to get the latest updates at the top of your screen (updates are stamped with the time in New York). For an overview of the current situation, read the main news article on our Web site, which will be updated throughout the day.
Readers inside Iran or in touch with people there are encouraged to send us photographs — our address is: pix@nyt.com — or use the comments box below to tell us what you are seeing or hearing.
Update | 2:33 p.m. Confirming what we’d heard from Iranian bloggers earlier today, Reuters reports that an ally of Mir Hussein Moussavi says that the opposition leader addressed a rally in Tehran today and said that he is “ready for martyrdom.” Reuters adds:
Mousavi also called on Saturday for a national strike if he is arrested, a witness said. As darkness fell, rooftop cries of Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) sounded out across northern Tehran for nearly an hour, an echo of tactics used in the 1979 Islamic revolution against the Shah. [...]
“In a public address in southwestern Tehran, Mousavi said he was ready for martyrdom and that he would continue his path,” a Mousavi ally, who asked not to be named, told Reuters by telephone from the Jeyhun street in Tehran.
A witness to the address said Mousavi, center of protests unprecedented in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic, appeared to anticipate action against him.
“Mousavi called on people to go on national strike if he gets arrested,” the witness told Reuters.
Mousavi demanded the elections be annulled.
“These disgusting measures (election rigging) were planned months ahead of the vote … considering all the violations … the election should be annulled,” Mousavi said in a letter to the country’s top legislative body.
Update | 2:22 p.m. The BBC reports that, “A BBC correspondent at Enghelab Square said he saw one man shot and others injured amid a huge security operation involving thousands of police.”
The BBC adds: “A column of black smoke is hanging over the city center, our correspondent says.”
Update | 2:19 p.m. The video of a young woman who was reportedly killed in Tehran today has been uploaded to many Web sites and Facebook pages this afternoon. One of our readers comments:
Make special note of that unarmed innocent Girl shot and bleeding from her mouth, nose, eyes, ears…..hundreds of copies just went up on Youtube.
The tide of the ‘79 revolution was turned overnight by a similar front-page photo of a Soldier at point blank range shooting an un-armed protester.
Update | 1:45 p.m. CNN has aired a very graphic and disturbing video clip which was uploaded to YouTube and Facebook on Saturday, showing a young woman who has been shot, bleeding profusely. (Please be advised before you click on the link below that these are truly horrifying images.)
On both Facebook and YouTube, the video comes with this explanation, written by someone who says that he was present when this video was shot and describes what it shows:
Basij shots to death a young woman in Tehran’s Saturday June 20th protests At 19:05 June 20th Place: Karekar Ave., at the corner crossing Khosravi St. and Salehi st. A young woman who was standing aside with her father watching the protests was shot by a basij member hiding on the rooftop of a civilian house. He had clear shot at the girl and could not miss her. However, he aimed straight her heart. I am a doctor, so I rushed to try to save her. But the impact of the gunshot was so fierce that the bullet had blasted inside the victim’s chest, and she died in less than 2 minutes. The protests were going on about 1 kilometers away in the main street and some of the protesting crowd were running from tear gass used among them, towards Salehi St. The film is shot by my friend who was standing beside me. Please let the world know.
Again, we have no way of knowing when or where the video was shot, or if this reader’s account is accurate, due to the intense restrictions on first-hand reporting imposed on the press inside Iran.
Update | 1:35 p.m. We are monitoring Press TV’s Web site, not its broadcast, so if any readers have seen what YouTube footage the Iranian satellite broadcaster is airing, please let us know.
Press TV’s Web site does have this report on what it called Saturday’s “illegal rally” in Tehran:
Despite warnings by Iranian police, protesters have staged an illegal rally in Tehran to cry foul over what they call ‘vote-rigging’ in Iran’s presidential election.
Police used batons and water canons to disperse the protesters who gathered near Tehran’s Enqelab Square on Saturday. Sporadic clashes were reported between security forces and the protesters.
Update | 1:11 p.m. The Iranian-American Web site Tehran Bureau reports that Iran’s Press TV is “reportedly showing YouTube footage of what it called “today’s rally.” Several news organizations, including CNN, the BBC and The Guardian have pointed to this YouTube video
________________________________________
June 20, 2009, 7:16 am
Saturday: Updates on Iran’s Disputed Election
By Robert Mackey
To supplement reporting by New York Times journalists inside Iran on Saturday, The Lede will continue to track the aftermath of Iran’s disputed presidential election online, as we have for the last several days. Please refresh this page throughout the day to get the latest updates at the top of your screen (updates are stamped with the time in New York). For an overview of the current situation, read the main news article on our Web site, which will be updated throughout the day.
Readers inside Iran or in touch with people there are encouraged to send us photographs — our address is: pix@nyt.com — or use the comments box below to tell us what you are seeing or hearing.
Update | 2:33 p.m. Confirming what we’d heard from Iranian bloggers earlier today, Reuters reports that an ally of Mir Hussein Moussavi says that the opposition leader addressed a rally in Tehran today and said that he is “ready for martyrdom.” Reuters adds:
Mousavi also called on Saturday for a national strike if he is arrested, a witness said. As darkness fell, rooftop cries of Allahu Akbar (God is greatest) sounded out across northern Tehran for nearly an hour, an echo of tactics used in the 1979 Islamic revolution against the Shah. [...]
“In a public address in southwestern Tehran, Mousavi said he was ready for martyrdom and that he would continue his path,” a Mousavi ally, who asked not to be named, told Reuters by telephone from the Jeyhun street in Tehran.
A witness to the address said Mousavi, center of protests unprecedented in the 30-year history of the Islamic Republic, appeared to anticipate action against him.
“Mousavi called on people to go on national strike if he gets arrested,” the witness told Reuters.
Mousavi demanded the elections be annulled.
“These disgusting measures (election rigging) were planned months ahead of the vote … considering all the violations … the election should be annulled,” Mousavi said in a letter to the country’s top legislative body.
Update | 2:22 p.m. The BBC reports that, “A BBC correspondent at Enghelab Square said he saw one man shot and others injured amid a huge security operation involving thousands of police.”
The BBC adds: “A column of black smoke is hanging over the city center, our correspondent says.”
Update | 2:19 p.m. The video of a young woman who was reportedly killed in Tehran today has been uploaded to many Web sites and Facebook pages this afternoon. One of our readers comments:
Make special note of that unarmed innocent Girl shot and bleeding from her mouth, nose, eyes, ears…..hundreds of copies just went up on Youtube.
The tide of the ‘79 revolution was turned overnight by a similar front-page photo of a Soldier at point blank range shooting an un-armed protester.
Update | 1:45 p.m. CNN has aired a very graphic and disturbing video clip which was uploaded to YouTube and Facebook on Saturday, showing a young woman who has been shot, bleeding profusely. (Please be advised before you click on the link below that these are truly horrifying images.)
On both Facebook and YouTube, the video comes with this explanation, written by someone who says that he was present when this video was shot and describes what it shows:
Basij shots to death a young woman in Tehran’s Saturday June 20th protests At 19:05 June 20th Place: Karekar Ave., at the corner crossing Khosravi St. and Salehi st. A young woman who was standing aside with her father watching the protests was shot by a basij member hiding on the rooftop of a civilian house. He had clear shot at the girl and could not miss her. However, he aimed straight her heart. I am a doctor, so I rushed to try to save her. But the impact of the gunshot was so fierce that the bullet had blasted inside the victim’s chest, and she died in less than 2 minutes. The protests were going on about 1 kilometers away in the main street and some of the protesting crowd were running from tear gass used among them, towards Salehi St. The film is shot by my friend who was standing beside me. Please let the world know.
Again, we have no way of knowing when or where the video was shot, or if this reader’s account is accurate, due to the intense restrictions on first-hand reporting imposed on the press inside Iran.
Update | 1:35 p.m. We are monitoring Press TV’s Web site, not its broadcast, so if any readers have seen what YouTube footage the Iranian satellite broadcaster is airing, please let us know.
Press TV’s Web site does have this report on what it called Saturday’s “illegal rally” in Tehran:
Despite warnings by Iranian police, protesters have staged an illegal rally in Tehran to cry foul over what they call ‘vote-rigging’ in Iran’s presidential election.
Police used batons and water canons to disperse the protesters who gathered near Tehran’s Enqelab Square on Saturday. Sporadic clashes were reported between security forces and the protesters.
Update | 1:11 p.m. The Iranian-American Web site Tehran Bureau reports that Iran’s Press TV is “reportedly showing YouTube footage of what it called “today’s rally.” Several news organizations, including CNN, the BBC and The Guardian have pointed to this YouTube video
Iran 18 June 2009
Here are videos and text from my following of #Iranelection in 2009. I am posting these so that I have a record of what I wrote/saw in case something happens to my computer files, and so that I can see overall trends and follow them into the future of Iran and the revolutions in the Middle East.
Iran Bans Facebook
Iran Bans Facebook
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Chinese inspired by Middle Eastern revolts
From Yahoo:
China tries to stamp out 'Jasmine Revolution'
AP – A man, 3rd from left, is detained by police officers in front of a cinema that was a planned protest …
By ANITA CHANG, Associated Press – Sun Feb 20, 6:42 am ET
BEIJING – Jittery Chinese authorities wary of any domestic dissent staged a concerted show of force Sunday to squelch a mysterious online call for a "Jasmine Revolution" apparently modeled after pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East.
Authorities detained activists, increased the number of police on the streets, disconnected some mobile phone text messaging services and censored Internet postings about the call to stage protests at 2 p.m. in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.
The campaign did not gain much traction among ordinary citizens and the chances of overthrowing the Communist government are slim, considering Beijing's tight controls over the media and Internet. A student-led, pro-democracy movement in 1989 was crushed by the military and hundreds, perhaps thousands, were killed.
On Sunday, police took at least three people away in Beijing, one of whom tried to lay down white jasmine flowers while hundreds of people milled about the protest gathering spot, outside a McDonald's on the capital's busiest shopping street. In Shanghai, police led away three people near the planned protest spot after they scuffled in an apparent bid to grab the attention of passers-by.
Many activists said they didn't know who was behind the campaign and weren't sure what to make of the call to protest, which first circulated Saturday on the U.S.-based, Chinese-language news website Boxun.com.
The unsigned notice called for a "Jasmine revolution" — the name given to the Tunisian protest movement — and urged people "to take responsibility for the future." Participants were urged to shout, "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness" — a slogan that highlights common complaints among Chinese.
The call is likely to fuel anxiety among China's authoritarian government, which is ever alert for domestic discontent and has appeared unnerved by recent protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Libya. It has limited media reports about them, stressing the instability caused by the protests, and restricted Internet searches to keep Chinese uninformed about Middle Easterners' grievances against their autocratic rulers.
On Saturday in a speech to national and provincial officials, President Hu Jintao ordered them to "solve prominent problems which might harm the harmony and stability of the society."
China's extensive filtering and monitoring of the Internet meant that most Chinese were unlikely to know about Saturday's call to protest. Boxun.com, for example, is blocked as are Twitter and Facebook, which were instrumental in Egypt's protest movement. Still, young tech-smart Chinese are savvy about getting around controls.
One person sitting in the McDonald's after the brief protest in Beijing said he saw Sunday's gathering as a dry run.
"Lots of people in here are Twitter users and came to watch like me," said 42-year-old Hu Di. "Actually this didn't have much organization, but it's a chance to meet each other. It's like preparing for the future."
With foot traffic always heavy at the Wangfujing pedestrian mall, it was difficult to discern who showed up to protest, who came to watch and who was out shopping. Rubberneckers outnumbered any potential protesters. Many wondered if there was a celebrity in the area because of the heavy police presence and dozens of foreign reporters and news cameras.
As the crowd swelled back and forth and police urged people to move on, 25-year-old Liu Xiaobai placed a white jasmine flower on a planter in front of the McDonald's and took some photos with his cell phone.
"I'm quite scared because they took away my phone. I just put down some white flowers, what's wrong with that?" Liu said afterward. "I'm just a normal citizen and I just want peace."
Security agents tried to take away Liu, but he was swarmed by journalists and eventually was seen walking away with a friend.
Two other people were taken away by police, including a shabbily dressed old man who was cursing and shouting, though it wasn't clear if he was there because of the online call to protest.
In Shanghai, three young men were taken away from outside a Starbucks coffee shop in People's Square by police, who refused to answer reporters' questions about why they were detained. They trio had been shouting complaints about the government and that food prices are too high.
A couple dozen older people were drawn to the commotion and started voicing their own complaints and saying they wanted democracy and the right to vote. One woman jumped up on a roadside cement block to shout, "The government are all hooligans," then ran off, only to return a bit later and shout again at the police and others crowded in the area before once again scampering away.
Security officials were relaxed toward the retirees and the crowd eventually drifted away.
There were no reports of protests in other cities where people were urged to gather, such as Guangzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan and Chengdu.
Ahead of the planned protests, human rights groups estimated that anywhere from several dozen to more than 100 activists in cities across China were detained by police, confined to their homes or were missing. Families and friends reported the detention or harassment of several dissidents, and some activists said they were warned not to participate.
On Sunday, searches for "jasmine" were blocked on China's largest Twitter-like microblog, and status updates with the word on popular Chinese social networking site Renren.com were met with an error message and a warning to refrain from postings with "political, sensitive ... or other inappropriate content."
A mass text messaging service from China Mobile was unavailable in Beijing on Sunday due to an upgrade, according to a customer service operator for the leading service provider, who did not know how long the suspension would last. In the past, Chinese authorities have suspended text messaging in politically tense areas to prevent organizing.
Boxun.com said its website was attacked by hackers Saturday after it posted the call to protest. A temporary site, on which users were reporting heavy police presence in several cities, was up and running Sunday. The site said in a statement it had no way of verifying the origins of the campaign.
___
Associated Press writers Cara Anna and Charles Hutzler in Beijing and Elaine Kurtenbach in Shanghai contributed to this report.
~~~
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110220/ap_on_re_as/as_china_jasmine_revolution;_ylt=Ao068irddp7Paw8xMLnQkLy9F4l4;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1Mm1oNW5nBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwMjIwL2FzX2NoaW5hX2phc21pbmVfcmV2b2x1dGlvbgRjcG9zAzYEcG9zAzYEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNjaGluYXRyaWVzdG8-
China tries to stamp out 'Jasmine Revolution'
AP – A man, 3rd from left, is detained by police officers in front of a cinema that was a planned protest …
By ANITA CHANG, Associated Press – Sun Feb 20, 6:42 am ET
BEIJING – Jittery Chinese authorities wary of any domestic dissent staged a concerted show of force Sunday to squelch a mysterious online call for a "Jasmine Revolution" apparently modeled after pro-democracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East.
Authorities detained activists, increased the number of police on the streets, disconnected some mobile phone text messaging services and censored Internet postings about the call to stage protests at 2 p.m. in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other major cities.
The campaign did not gain much traction among ordinary citizens and the chances of overthrowing the Communist government are slim, considering Beijing's tight controls over the media and Internet. A student-led, pro-democracy movement in 1989 was crushed by the military and hundreds, perhaps thousands, were killed.
On Sunday, police took at least three people away in Beijing, one of whom tried to lay down white jasmine flowers while hundreds of people milled about the protest gathering spot, outside a McDonald's on the capital's busiest shopping street. In Shanghai, police led away three people near the planned protest spot after they scuffled in an apparent bid to grab the attention of passers-by.
Many activists said they didn't know who was behind the campaign and weren't sure what to make of the call to protest, which first circulated Saturday on the U.S.-based, Chinese-language news website Boxun.com.
The unsigned notice called for a "Jasmine revolution" — the name given to the Tunisian protest movement — and urged people "to take responsibility for the future." Participants were urged to shout, "We want food, we want work, we want housing, we want fairness" — a slogan that highlights common complaints among Chinese.
The call is likely to fuel anxiety among China's authoritarian government, which is ever alert for domestic discontent and has appeared unnerved by recent protests in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria and Libya. It has limited media reports about them, stressing the instability caused by the protests, and restricted Internet searches to keep Chinese uninformed about Middle Easterners' grievances against their autocratic rulers.
On Saturday in a speech to national and provincial officials, President Hu Jintao ordered them to "solve prominent problems which might harm the harmony and stability of the society."
China's extensive filtering and monitoring of the Internet meant that most Chinese were unlikely to know about Saturday's call to protest. Boxun.com, for example, is blocked as are Twitter and Facebook, which were instrumental in Egypt's protest movement. Still, young tech-smart Chinese are savvy about getting around controls.
One person sitting in the McDonald's after the brief protest in Beijing said he saw Sunday's gathering as a dry run.
"Lots of people in here are Twitter users and came to watch like me," said 42-year-old Hu Di. "Actually this didn't have much organization, but it's a chance to meet each other. It's like preparing for the future."
With foot traffic always heavy at the Wangfujing pedestrian mall, it was difficult to discern who showed up to protest, who came to watch and who was out shopping. Rubberneckers outnumbered any potential protesters. Many wondered if there was a celebrity in the area because of the heavy police presence and dozens of foreign reporters and news cameras.
As the crowd swelled back and forth and police urged people to move on, 25-year-old Liu Xiaobai placed a white jasmine flower on a planter in front of the McDonald's and took some photos with his cell phone.
"I'm quite scared because they took away my phone. I just put down some white flowers, what's wrong with that?" Liu said afterward. "I'm just a normal citizen and I just want peace."
Security agents tried to take away Liu, but he was swarmed by journalists and eventually was seen walking away with a friend.
Two other people were taken away by police, including a shabbily dressed old man who was cursing and shouting, though it wasn't clear if he was there because of the online call to protest.
In Shanghai, three young men were taken away from outside a Starbucks coffee shop in People's Square by police, who refused to answer reporters' questions about why they were detained. They trio had been shouting complaints about the government and that food prices are too high.
A couple dozen older people were drawn to the commotion and started voicing their own complaints and saying they wanted democracy and the right to vote. One woman jumped up on a roadside cement block to shout, "The government are all hooligans," then ran off, only to return a bit later and shout again at the police and others crowded in the area before once again scampering away.
Security officials were relaxed toward the retirees and the crowd eventually drifted away.
There were no reports of protests in other cities where people were urged to gather, such as Guangzhou, Tianjin, Wuhan and Chengdu.
Ahead of the planned protests, human rights groups estimated that anywhere from several dozen to more than 100 activists in cities across China were detained by police, confined to their homes or were missing. Families and friends reported the detention or harassment of several dissidents, and some activists said they were warned not to participate.
On Sunday, searches for "jasmine" were blocked on China's largest Twitter-like microblog, and status updates with the word on popular Chinese social networking site Renren.com were met with an error message and a warning to refrain from postings with "political, sensitive ... or other inappropriate content."
A mass text messaging service from China Mobile was unavailable in Beijing on Sunday due to an upgrade, according to a customer service operator for the leading service provider, who did not know how long the suspension would last. In the past, Chinese authorities have suspended text messaging in politically tense areas to prevent organizing.
Boxun.com said its website was attacked by hackers Saturday after it posted the call to protest. A temporary site, on which users were reporting heavy police presence in several cities, was up and running Sunday. The site said in a statement it had no way of verifying the origins of the campaign.
___
Associated Press writers Cara Anna and Charles Hutzler in Beijing and Elaine Kurtenbach in Shanghai contributed to this report.
~~~
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110220/ap_on_re_as/as_china_jasmine_revolution;_ylt=Ao068irddp7Paw8xMLnQkLy9F4l4;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1Mm1oNW5nBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwMjIwL2FzX2NoaW5hX2phc21pbmVfcmV2b2x1dGlvbgRjcG9zAzYEcG9zAzYEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNjaGluYXRyaWVzdG8-
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