Thousands rally in downtown L.A. for regime change in Iran. (Reuters Photo)
Iranians marched for democratic reforms in a major demonstration in the heart of Tehran for two full days. (Reuters Photo)
Two days of pro-democracy protests have been met with a heavy crackdown by Iranian authorities. (Reuters Photo)
Protests in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are being staged. This time they are in support of the new Saudi King Salman, who has promised “new hope” in a series of reforms and promised Saudi Arabia that he will not allow Saudi citizens to be executed.
I’ve not read too much of the pro-democracy speeches in Iran but I did read about several of them on the blogs so please add your own comments.
First let me read a bit of the Guardian piece on the protests from which I quoted.
Protesters across Iran chant ‘Down with Rouhani.
Down with the mullahs’
Iranians have been showing their anger over the economic crisis for months. In January, they set off two days of protests that were initially peaceful but turned into full-scale confrontations between the people and the authorities. Since then, the country has struggled to provide services to those who have been laid off, and has been under almost continual attack by economic sanctions. But Iran’s rulers did not heed the warnings and have instead kept the promises to address the economic crisis in their own way.
The Guardian explains:
This time, the unrest erupted on the day after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave a speech that critics said was meant as a sign of reform and openness by the Islamic Republic.
They’ve also pointed out that the Guardian, in the article below, says that Iranian students are protesting against the “corruption” and “mafia-like” political system. This is not the first time that Western journalists have referred to the protests in Iran as “students” and “students” protests.
Another Guardian piece from today’s protests says that, as with Egypt and Tunisia, the protesters feel that they have been ignored. They state: