Asia Scope

‘I’m tired and confused’

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Asia Scope

‘I’m tired and confused’

An anti-Ahmadinejad student protestor (we have hidden his identity to protect him from likely repercussions) believes most Iranians do not want another revolution

Yesterday I went to university to participate in the strike of the students, staff and teachers and they condemned the election result, and said they won’t teach again until everything gets clear.

We were supposed to have a demonstration at Valiasr Square but in the morning all [media] channels asked the people of Iran to go there just two hours before the time we had planned to show their support to the government and protest [against] the rebels. They called most of the Iranian nation rebels!

Mousavi published statement cancelling that rally and [protest organisers] asked people to gather at Vanak Square instead, but it was not clear which [instruction] was true. At first I went with three friends to the Ahmadinejad rally at Valiasr Square to spread some notices describing the authorities’ crime in the dormitories [‘Safe in Beirut’].

In just five minutes, some Basijis arrested one of friends and the other guy and I ran away. They handed my friend to some policemen beside them, but my friend was so scared and he didn’t have the notices anymore. Luckily, the policemen were nice guys and let him go.

Then we went to the Vanak Square anti-censorship demonstration, which lasted for three hours and ended at Jame Jam. It was so big and impressive!

The protesters can be divided into two groups. The first just want to protest peacefully and then go home, but the second want to start peacefully and end up sitting on the roads, blocking them – which the harsh police will respond badly to.

Until yesterday, I thought the second group was right. But then I realised Ahmadinejad and his supporters want to provoke people and get them to respond. Sure enough, just after sunset a few radical supporters of Ahamdinejad came among the protestors and beat them with sticks, provoking them until they burned their motorbikes. Then I think the special police came and attacked them. A nasty plot!

As I write this, many of my neighbours are on their roofs and balconies, shouting ‘Allaho Akbar!’, which means ‘God is great’, and ‘death to dictator’. It’s safe and effective protesting.

Some people here say we will have a new revolution, but Iranians definitely can’t handle another one, and if they feel that it’s close they will stop protesting. I will do this, too.

Although most of the nation does believe that it’s a really crappy regime and they have ruined our freedom and privacy, they made it secure and steady, so people are afraid of civil war after a new revolution.

Today we just want revenge on the people that degraded and convinced us that we would have a free election but cheated after that. I don’t know when people will be calm again, but it’s not good for us and the rest of the world

These past days were the worst days that I have ever had. I’m tired and confused. I hope that they accept our peaceful voices soon.

Update, Wednesday night

Today, I read something on a trusted source at university about how arrested students have been treated. It was exactly like something out of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. The authorities threw their food on the floor and made them eat it, otherwise they hit them. They were only allowed to use the toilet for 30 seconds or they were hit and thrown naked into a cell.

Mobile phones are down again and people are again out shouting on their roofs.

Iranians have divided into three groups now: protestors, Ahmadinejad supporters and neutrals who voted, were annoyed, but then calmed down and accepted the result, saying ‘OK, they rigged the election as they have done for the past 30 years.’

The other two groups really hate each other and call each other rebels and rioters. Both sides have radical supporters who inflame the situation.

Frday will be an important day. The Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Khamenei] will be at Friday prayers and all the protestors want to go there and display their anger to him. I guess it will be a sort of ultimatum to him. If he still has any sanity, he will listen…