ABC’s Jim Sciutto: Major Protests Erupt in Iran
EmailABC's Senior Foreign Correspondent Jim Sciutto reports: It had been weeks since anti-government protesters gathered in large numbers in Iran. Today, they were out again not just in the capital Tehran but in several large cities. Eyewitnesses reached by telephone in Tehran say opposition supporters turned what is traditionally a day to protest oppression around the world (namely Palestine) into a protest against oppression at home. Mixing among the crowds who came out for the officially-sanctioned marches, protesters shouted the names of opposition leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi and turned the official slogans on their head. When the imam at Friday prayers called for ‘Death to Israel’, the protesters shouted ‘Death to Russia’ instead (a jibe at Russia for supporting the Iranian regime). When the imam talked about Gaza or Lebanon, protesters replied ‘Not Gaza, not Lebanon, what about Iran?’ “I saw something today that I hadn’t seen before: the unity of the people,” one protester told ABC News by telephone from Tehran. Because of the severity of the crackdown in recent weeks – the beatings, killings, arrests and show trials – opposition supporters were not expecting anything like today’s turnout. But today’s show of defiance fits with what opposition leaders had recommended: which is for their supporters to take advantage of the many national holidays when marches are allowed, such as today, and transform them into opposition rallies. Government militia appeared to be largely outnumbered at first. One witness said she saw the crowd converge on a member of the basij militia and beat him up. But as the pro-government supporters among the crowd went home, the clashes started – basij attacking the crowd and the crowd throwing rocks and burning garbage. What does this mean for the opposition? “It gives us more hope for future demonstrations,” one protester told me by telephone. “I think the regime is getting more afraid and we are getting less scared.” One of the most repeated chants today: “Tanks, rape and torture have no effect anymore.”
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More power to the people, against the tyranny.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | September 18, 2009, 3:36 pm 3:36 pm
Please allow me to print a recap about a statement I made of Bill Cosby, I was wrong, he also feels the healthcare is race implied. Shame on Bill, just when you had people believing in you, and that you were a true american. This is not about race or insurance, its about tax $$$$ going to fund abortion, and about wedgeing the pork into hidding so the people will not be aware of what’s happening. This is the reason for town hall protest and such, the american people are fed up, don’t you get it??? Carl
Posted by: Carl Dixon | September 18, 2009, 3:49 pm 3:49 pm
Hope O’Reilly gets this tally correct. Bill, 75,000 wasn’t the “Official Fire Dept Estimate”. That’s the Left’s spin. It was ONE firefighter commenting at 10:30 AM from his vantage point on ONE CORNER. Look at the arial photos. 250,000 minimum. Wait till they take the official tally from the 2010 polls. OUT WITH THE TRASH, and Barry is going down next.
Posted by: mark | September 18, 2009, 11:14 pm 11:14 pm
I love that the U.S. media covers protests overseas, but basically ignored what happened in D.C. on 9/12!
Posted by: BB | September 18, 2009, 11:27 pm 11:27 pm
The Obama administration immediately expressed concern that the Townhall protests had spread to Iran. The “death to Russia” chant was particularly disturbing to Obama who had just caved in to Putin on missile defense. Where will this all end an administration spokesperson wailed.
Will there be an Iranian Joe Wilson?
Posted by: paulejb | September 19, 2009, 12:40 am 12:40 am
wow, abc finally is reporting a topic early. stay classey dinosaur media. you will be a great topic in the future.
Posted by: jdubya | September 19, 2009, 1:41 am 1:41 am
mark:
I was there last Saturday on the side of the Capitol Building steps. Since it is on a slope, I had an unimpeded view to the Washington Monument.
A conservative number for the 9/12 protest would be 800,000. It could have gone as high as 1.2 million, if you count people around the area and on side streets.
Nine hundred thousand would not be a stretch.
It is amazing how the press lies. It kind of reminds me of Pravda reporting of Soviet times (and probably of today, as well).
Posted by: Steve | September 19, 2009, 2:03 am 2:03 am
Let’s see….
Major protests in Iran against the govt is unity.
Major protests in America against the govt is racism.
Posted by: G | September 19, 2009, 5:06 am 5:06 am
I’m certain our dear leader, hoping to make up for his part in the oppression of these same people just a while ago, will speak out..
…In favor of the oppressors, or Russia, or Chavez, or Castro, or the dictator wannabe, the citizens just threw out of Honduras, or ACORN, or anything or anyone who is the opposite of traditional American values.
Someone on Beck cleverly refers to the above despots as Obama’s “frenamies.”
Posted by: Don L | September 19, 2009, 5:44 am 5:44 am
What these Iranians need is ObamaCare…then they will be so happy they won’t want to protest anymore.
Posted by: RR GOP | September 19, 2009, 7:25 am 7:25 am
Where has ABC been when we Americans were protesting our own Government attempt to take over our freedoms? ABC is a sham for the Obama administration and has lost all professionalism. As a former life-long Democrat, I’m ashamed of what my Party has become. And I’m ashamed of all those networks and news agencies, like ABC, that is so biased they won’t even report facts and truth if those facts and truth hurt Obama. Those networks have lost me, just like the Dems lost me.
Posted by: Elaina | September 19, 2009, 7:35 am 7:35 am
@G | Sep 19, 2009 5:06:27 AM
So typical of you right wing nutjobs to completely ignore the one huge difference between what is going on in Iran and what is going on here: Achmedinejad is not black. There, do you understand now?
Posted by: Odysseus | September 19, 2009, 8:22 am 8:22 am
“Major protests in Iran against the govt is unity.”
“Major protests in America against the govt is racism.”
I thought the same thing.
Posted by: Murrow's crying... | September 19, 2009, 9:11 am 9:11 am
Odysseus:
Good use of irony.
Posted by: Steve | September 19, 2009, 9:27 am 9:27 am
a note to @G…. when I look at Obama I don’t see a black. I see a red.
It’s the racist leftists who see a black.
Posted by: kevin barry | September 19, 2009, 9:29 am 9:29 am
Murrow’s crying:
Racims? I am wondering how a U.S government that pursues policies that will most likely:
1. Jack up the cost of energy (Cap and Trade)
2. Increase the cost of labor (Employee Free Choice Act)
3. Raise tax burden on business (Economic Policy in General)
4. Exponentially increase debt (Domestic spending policies)
expects a moribund economy to be reignited. I was at the 9/12 March because of the above concerns. I guess I should forget the substance of my discontent, because according to the geniuses of the moment, I must be a racist.
Pathetic, isn’t it?
Posted by: Steve | September 19, 2009, 9:31 am 9:31 am
Of course, Obama will maintain radio silence…
Posted by: 2ipa | September 19, 2009, 10:31 am 10:31 am
While it is certainly understandable why Obama would not view Ahmedinijad as a threat, seeing these racist un-Iranian evil-mongering brown-shirted mobs (of eight or nine people) gather with their signs and such may give Obama reason to rethink dropping missile defense plans for Eastern Europe. Such potential for violence exhibited here…
Posted by: Chris | September 19, 2009, 10:31 am 10:31 am
When does Obama sell out the freedom-seeking people of Iran to the Mullahs, the way he did Poland? For example, by formally meeting with the Mahdi and personally apologizing to him for America’s “evil” deeds?
Well, he’s actually off to a good start. His administration has already declared that Iran has a right to nuclear “power,” and that Ahmadinejad is the legitimately elected leader of Iran.
Posted by: Appeasement Czar | September 19, 2009, 12:48 pm 12:48 pm
Remember, Clinton initiated Health Reform, and his ideas did not get off the ground. Republicans shot that down.
As far as I know, Ex-President Clinton was a caucasian gentleman. Was he not?
Democrats are conveniently forgetting that one little fact in history – Bill is a white guy. We didn’t like him either. Democrats do not like republicans as well.
That’s okay. We will all work it out if we don’t go adding fuel to the fire.
That goes for BOTH sides of the aisle.
Oh, behave!
Posted by: Lucy | September 19, 2009, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm