The Green Movement is so alive and radicalized

The photo is from today.

Tehran, today and tonight:

Many people protested in different cities of Iran (Tehran, Shiraz, Mashhad, Najaf Abad, Isfahan, etc.) in solidarity with the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings. The demonstrations took place today and tonight despite the fact that more than one hundred protesters got killed during 2009, several hundreds of people got arrested during the last two years, many activists still are imprisoned and under torture and three of the protesters (Jafar Kazemi, Mohammad Haj-Babaei and Zahra Bahrami) have been hanged and several more are on death row such as Abdolreza Ghanbari, a working class teacher. People in Iran protested today although Iran's state has been executing on average one person every eight hours during 2011 to create a climate of fear, hopelessness and desperateness to depoliticize the people.

The Egyptian and Tunisian Revolutions have affected the political psychology of Iranians who have been told for more than at least two decades that revolutions result in chaos and violence and will not lead to a just society. Consequently many people believed that they should look for reform within the system instead of radically challenging the whole establishment. Although the straightforward demands by the Egyptian and Tunisian people for Mubarak and Ben Ali to leave haven't yet led to a just society, they have awakened the political consciousness of many Iranians and their imagination of a "Khamenie"-less country. Many reformist intellectuals and commentators have recently expressed that the system is not reformable and must be overthrown including Isa Saharkhiz. The Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings helped many reformsits to clean their image of a revolution from fears of violence and defeatism.

There has always been strong internationalist elements in the Green Movement which have been expressed through artistic posters, drawings, slogans, etc. The slogans such as "whether in Iran or in Gaza, the killings of the people must stop", "why are you people sitting, Iran has become Palestine" and "our votes turn to blood, Iran has become Palestine" don't limit injustice to Iran and make parallels between the domestic oppression and the occupation and colonization of Palestinian people. Today, I came across two slogans that highlight the internationalist components of the movement: "Khamenei, Mubarak, we congratulate your marriage (or union)" and "Mubarak, Ben Ali, now it's Sed-Ali's turn (Sed-Ali refers to Khamenei)". The fact that the demonstrations were claimed to be held in support of the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings shows that the GM's will is to see itself in a bigger geographical picture and part of the international struggles against tyranny and injustice. This is not to say that there are no nationalistic backwardnesses in the movement, however, my observation of the recent events tells me that the Green Movement is unashamed of being connected with and inspired by the regional struggles such as Palestinian liberation movement, Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings or revolutions.

Economic hardships were expressed in some of today's chants such as " One Naan-Barbari is 300 Toman,let the house of the supreme leader be damned". As time goes on, the economic elements are becoming stronger in the movement and its demands. The subsidy cuts, and the increasing numbers of unpaid, unemployed and temporary workers are very much responsible for this recent development. Most of the chants have targeted the concept of supreme leadership and Khamenei himself. Ahmadinejad has rarely been mentioned. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Karoubi are well respected for standing against tyranny alongside the people, however, they haven't been the focus of the slogans either. The protesters have targeted the regime and the supreme leadership.

Many have been arrested and one is killed and several have been injured. The students of Sharif University and Polytechnique have been attacked by the goons of the regime and many have been arrested.

Today's demonstration started around 8 am by a spectacular act of a courageous protester "who climbed a crane near Chahar Raheh Ghasr and hoisted a flag at around 8:30 a.m. The protester held up pictures of "martyrs" and warned authorities that he would jump if approached". He hasn't covered his face, he's barehanded except for the photos of the GM martyrs, he has risked his life at top of the crane without worrying much about it while the state's thugs don't leave their house without tear gas, baton, knife, gun, etc. This is the difference. (video)

The pathetic "somewhere and Fox news" brand of tribalist leftists have been whistling and pretending that nothing is happening in Iran which is what they usually do during oppressed Iranian people's demonstrations. Some also ignore citizens' videos as they don't look pretty liek those of Aljazeera. Down with racism and tribalism and elitism unsuccessfully marketed as anti-imperialism.

Some of the videos of today:

The chant in this video: the month, the month is Bahman (Iranian February) and it's time for Khamenei to leave:

The chant in the video: "Azadi, Azadi, Azadi" which means freedom. One of my most favorites of today:

The chant in the video: Mubarak, Ben Ali, now it's Sed-Ali's turn (meaning Khameneie). A poster of Khamenei and Khomeini is set on fire.

The chant in the video: " what has happened to the oil revenues? it has been spent on Basijis.

Internationalism in the Green Movement: The chant in the video:" whether in Cairo, or in Iran, down with Taleban (meaning fundamentalism )"

The chant in the video of today's demonstration at Sharif University: this chant is from 1979 Revolution except for the name of the Shah that is being replaced by Mahmood (Ahmadinejad): "Mahmoud the traitor, may you become a displaced person, you have destroyed this country, you've killed the youth of the nation, allaho akbar, you've put thousands in burial shrouds, allaho akbar, death to you, death to you, death to you, death to you!"(translation of the chant is from here)

the chant in the video:" Down with dictator"

Close to Azadi (Tahrir in Arabic and freedom in English) square:

A protester has been shot and people in the video discuss if they should take him to the hospital as it can result in his arrest:

Th chants in the video: "Azadi, azadi, azadi" --- Azadi means freedom. "We are the children of the war (Iran-Iraq war), fight with us, we continue fightting back with you"

The main chant in the video: "Death to Khameneie", " down with the supreme leadership", "Mubarak, Ben Ali, now it's Khameneie's turn.

The chant in the video: "Khemeneie must know that he will soon be overthrown"

Another video around Engeghlab Square, my most favorite part of tehran (Enghelab means revolution). The chant in the video: "the proud Iranians, join us, join us"