Citizen Journalism In Iran

Via Pajamas Media, a fascinating glimpse of a street uprising in Tehran. Iran’s Modesty Police have been getting more aggressive lately. Last Saturday night, the Modesty Police tried to arrest a young woman at a shopping mall, presumably for dressing in a western style. A young man intervened to protect her, and was beaten and thrown into a garbage can by the Modesty Police. By that time, a crowd had gathered and hundreds of bystanders prevented the police, including eventually some regular policemen, from arresting the woman. Ultimately the police fled, and at least one was assaulted by the crowd.
This cell phone video is of poor quality, and half the time it’s sideways, but it conveys the aftermath of the incident. At least hundreds of Iranians, if not thousands, have gathered and are chanting anti-Mullah slogans, including the one that I think must be most chilling to tyrants the world over: “How many people do you think you can kill?”

The mullahs, while sporadically brutal, have nothing like totalitarian control over Iran. In Tehran, especially, hatred of the regime is widespread and resistance occasionally breaks out. Many experts on Iran, including Michael Ledeen, are of the view that encouraging internal resistance may be our most effective way of dealing with the current government. This video offers a window into what is happening in Tehran; for the whole story, go to Pajamas Media.
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