Latest Iran Video: The Media Fair Demonstrations (25 October)

The Latest on Iran (25 October): Expectation Rises

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Outside the Mossalla

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVIzknzeiag[/youtube]

Comments

[Adam]

Can somebody please explain what is going on in the video? What is the Mossalla and what are the debaters saying?

[Scott Lucas]

Adam,

The Mossalla is a large area constructed for public gatherings in Tehran. I believe at one point it was going to be the location for Friday Prayers, but these are still given at the complex at Tehran University.

S.

[Megan]

Adam,

Debaters are supporters of AhamadiNejad and Mousavi. It is hard to understand why they are exactly saying because they are shouting over one other. From what I heard, the dispute is over votes each candidate had received. The guy in the white shirt is a supporter of AhmadiNejad and claims there was no cheating. One Mousavi supporter shouts back let both side get a permit to assemble and then let’s go to an open field and count supporters of each candidate.

One thing that is obvious from this video Mousavi supporters seem to either higher in number or louder and definitely more passionate because you can hear them over supporters of AN. They attempt to dial down the other side by shouting Ya Hussein, Mir Hussein (Mir Hussein is Mousavi’s first name).

I hope this helped.

[Adam]

Thanks Megan, that was very helpful. I wonder why they are allowing a civil debate like this between the 2 sides. The Govt. seems so insecure now that any visible support for Mousavi or Karroubi is immediately met by violence... for example the Basij attacks on Karroubi and Beheshti as soon as they showed up at the media fair.

[Megan]

Adam,

I agree government does not sanction public debate that contradicts its position. The debate we see in this video appears to be spontaneous and all government can do is having its informants to snap a photo or two or roll the video camera to frighten people that they are being identified. We see some do exactly that in this video.

I am assuming people we see in this video are those attending Media Fair (possibly following the attack on Karroubi). Anyhow, something has triggered the heated exchange. The man in the white T-shirt and the man to his right who is wearing dark brown shirt and black pants (who later faces the camera with the V sign) may very well be government agents/employees. I do not say this because of their support for the government but the fact that crowd opposing them responds by sarcastic chants implying they are on government payroll. Again, this is just speculation on my part and possibly reading too much in what I hear in this video.

I am told this kind of heated debate goes on inside many homes and in some households it has created a rift among family members. That is an indication how everything is so near boiling point.