Student-led protests in Iran continue

After a government crackdown silenced them for months, thousands of Iranian protesters rallied against the government at universities on Dec. 7 and 8. The first day of rallying was National Student Day, an Iranian holiday and the anniversary of the murder of three students by Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi's forces in 1953. Battles surrounded the campuses, as protesters clashed with Iranian police forces and government supporters. The Iranian government attempted to suppress media coverage, but the rest of the globe slowly found out through the Internet.

The movement's trademark color, bright green, was found on armbands and banners on many university campuses. Rallying against the oppressive government and the questionable election results from last June, protesters chanted, "Death to the oppressor," "Death to the dictator," and "God is great." Flags and posters depicting leaders Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei were burned. Protesters threw rocks at government forces and set fires among the tear gas clouds. Witnesses claimed that the rioting was the most violent it's been since rallies began after the controversial election in June.

The Iranian police and militia quickly responded to the protests. Police and Basij militia members used truncheons, stun guns, and chains to beat the protesters. Protesters ridiculed the Basij by waving bank notes in the air, emphasizing that although Basij are technically volunteer forces, many are paid generously for their efforts to suppress opposition like the protesters. According to some reports, the Basij hurled rocks at protesters and even innocent passersby.

The government response to the protests was to threaten supporters of the opposition. On Dec. 8, Iran's top prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi said that the government had "shown restraint" with protesters. Mr. Mohseni Ejehi added, "Anyone who endangers security must be dealt with." There was a warning, as well: "From today, no leniency will be applied."

According to Tehran's police chief, 204 protesters were arrested in the capital. Other reports had numbers ranging from dozens to hundreds of arrests.

To many, the most intriguing part of the conflict is that despite banned foreign media, campuses on lockdown, and delayed Internet and cell phone services, word still spread quickly around the globe. The Iranian governent made various attempts to silence the protestors, but early Dec. 7, videos, photos and eyewitness accounts flooded the Internet. Twitter and opposition websites, the only real sources of Iranian news for the rest of the world, were extremely active.