Iran protest fire21 festival: 16 16/03/2010, Matthew Weaver, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Blogposts, guardian.co.uk, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East

Iran protest fire21 festival: 16 16/03/2010, Matthew Weaver, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Blogposts, guardian.co.uk, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, minute by minute, Mir Hossein Mousavi protest, world news Guardian Unlimited

The Iranian opposition held more protests across the country tonight as part of a fire festival traditionally noisy in defiance of the authorities. Read how it has developed

4pm:
Tonight's demonstration is a key test of the strength of the opposition after a disappointing turnout in last month's protests.

Some commentators, including the U.S. Security Council's former Middle East expert, Flynt Leverett, said the stake on 11 February showed that the opposition was losing strength.


The protest planned this evening is different from other events staged since the controversial elections last June. It is due to spend the night instead of day to coincide with Chaharshanbe Suri or the Feast of the celebrations of Fire.

Even before the election of Zoroastrian ceremony had become a way of showing the challenge to the regime. It's about letting off fireworks, jumping over bonfires, and men and women dancing in the streets - an activity banned in the Islamic Republic.

The festival often becomes dangerous as the young, traditionally Chuck gasoline bombs and homemade explosives.

This time, authorities have banned the festival and tightened security. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei Chaharshanbe described Suri as corrupt and anti-Islam.

The authorities announced yesterday that six people arrested in earlier protests will be executed. The measure is seen as a way of warning the opposition not to take to the streets tonight, according to The New York Times.

The defeated opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi have openly called for the followers to take to the streets tonight. But yesterday converged Karroubi said the Iranian government was "riddled with despotism."

And the Facebook page, the wife Zahra Mousavi Rahnavard has expressed support for the festival. It is the feast of light against darkness, he said.

4.08pm:
General police chief of Tehran, Hossein Sajedinia told the ISNA news agency that U.S. forces were deployed to prevent "any event in the city."

The police also announced that riding motorcycles is prohibited tonight.

Website opposition Norooznews reported that Mousavi told a group of activists that the green movement would continue in the Persian New Year, which begins Sunday.

"We have to call the year following the year of patience and endurance, so as to achieve the objectives of the Green Movement," he said.

4.14pm:
The police are banning container filling stations, according to Reza Sayah CNN.

4.18pm:
There are numerous reports of firecrackers going and even fighting in the streets of Tehran, from usually reliable sources on Twitter. The video footage has been released, but there are doubts about their veracity, some claim that shows fire festival last year.

4.31pm:
Tehran fire brigade reports of 36 separate incidents across the city tonight, according to the state run news agency ISNA. Eight of the incidents were caused by fireworks made by hand, said that according to our translator.

4.39pm:
Three people have been arrested in Enghelab square in Tehran, according to news agency INA.

And there is a heavy police presence in Tehran Haft-e Tir Square, Saadat Abad and the Velanjak areas of the city, as France24.

Today the Commission on Human Rights, Reporters said that women's rights activist Laleh Hassanpour was arrested after a police raid on his house.

4.48pm:
As usual in one of these days of protest, no virtual media blackout in Iran, which means that reliable information is difficult to obtain. If you are in Iran and has news, please email me at matthew.weaver @ guardian.co.uk, or by an encrypted e-mail safer matthew_weaver@hushmail.com me and please post updates or interesting links the comments section below.

5.05pm:
The number of incidents reported by the fire department of Tehran has increased to 66 until 7.45pm local time (4.15pm GMT), according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency.

5.11pm:
Some 32 people were injured in the festival so far, according to ISNA quoted a medical official.

There is still a conspicuous absence of images or video sequences reliably what is happening. Or nothing is happening or the regime has successfully blocked the dissemination of news. There are reports of restrictions on the Internet in Iran and the slow connection.

The mobile phone networks have also been blocked or interrupted in some areas, opposition websites claim.

5.24pm:
There are unconfirmed reports of a fire at the house Karroubi Hossein, son of opposition leader Mehdi. The report, discovered by Tehran bureau, appears on a website loyal to the regime.

5.38pm:
The number of people were injured this evening has risen to 83, according to the opposition Rahesabz website.

The satellite broadcaster Al Arabyia reports that pictures of both President Mahmoud Ahmadinjad and Supreme Leader Khamenei, were burned in the protests.

5.50pm:
An email that claims to be sent from Tehran Gharb Shanhrake reports of major fires in the area of the city. This seems to confirm similar reports on the website of the opposition.

Some of the fires were as high as the doors of the houses, the email says.

It says that drivers are protesting the honking their horns. "I have not heard slogans, but a lot of whistles which shows that the protests have not ended yet," the message says Vahid.

States that the protest / festival is being tolerated by the future of the police and the Basij militia. "It seems that the Iranian leader has ordered the forces not to attack people and let them do their party," the message says.

6.05pm:
The report of a fire at the house of Hossein Karroubi (5.24pm) is false, says a peep Saharkhiz Mehdi, whose father, a former spokesman for President Khatami, is currently in prison in Iran.

6.12pm:
The number of incidents reported by the fire department of Tehran has increased to 123, according to the semi-official Fars news.

There campaingers human rights reports of "clashes" between protesters and riot police in Karaj, a city 40 kilometers west of Tehran.

It has also been an explosion in a house in the city, according to independent Khabar line.

6.20pm:
You can use this widget from Google to translate the blog into an approximation of Persian.

(It looks good, but our translator said it was very hard and does not produce proper sentences).

6.45pm:
Vahid another update emails claiming to be from Shahrak Gharb, Tehran. He saw two helicopters flying over the areas, and has heard of the fighting elsewhere in the city. So far there has been no reliable accounts of violence between police and protesters.

6.51pm:
A video apparently reliable starting tonight has been uploaded to YouTube, but is short and hard to see anything. But it is interesting that the material is starting to emerge.

6.58pm:
The semi-official Fars news now says that the number of calls the fire department of Tehran has increased to 164 today. A contact e-mail to say that the sound of fireworks in the area Fereshte Tehran are becoming stronger.

7.06pm:
The opposition website said that tonight Rahesabz represents a success of all types, as the claims of thousands of people taking to the streets to participate in the festival of protest, in defiance of the recent comments of the supreme leader.

However, the opposition must be disappointed not to have seen a greater show of force.

7.21pm:
After sunset, people filled the streets of Tehran and Iran for the ceremony tonight, AP reports.

Add:


Iranian riot police and militiamen have been deployed around Tehran in a major show of force during a national festival that authorities fear could rekindle anti-government protests.

7.24pm:
A new video that purports to be filmed tonight shows the degree ceremonies in the southern city of Shiraz.


7.28pm:
More video, tonight also, apparently filmed shows people singing and dancing in the central city of Isfahan. They're chanting slogans against the government, but participation is seen as an act of defiance.

Another video of Isfahan seems more strident.


7.38pm:
This video of the northern city of Ardebil sample homemade bombs go. These explosives are common during the festival of fire.

A witness in the west of Tehran by email to say that there is still "a lot of bombs," and that the festival this year was greater than in previous years.

The fact that people use of improvised explosive during the festival could explain why the police seem to have kept their distance.

7.50pm:
The videos are coming thick and fast. This is the first showing tonight directly challenge the regime demonstrators chanting "Death to the dictator".


8:00 pm:
More Videos seems to confirm that those attending the festival were also protesting against the government, as well as playing with fire and explosives.


8.04pm:
Here are the first images of this night purporting to show pictures of Khamenei to be burned.


8.08pm:
The weather in Iran is nearing midnight when people have been warned they face arrest if they are still in the streets.

That's all for now. Thanks for all your comments and emails.

Iran
Objection
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mir Hossein Mousavi
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Middle East
Matthew Weaver


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