Sunday
Nov082009
UPDATED Iran Video & Translation: Mehdi Karroubi on the 13 Aban Protests
Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 9:08
Iran: An Opposition Renewing, A Government in Trouble
Iran: Question for the Regime “What’s Your Next Punch?”
NEW Latest Iran Video: More from 13 Aban
Iran’s New 13 Aban: An Eyewitness Account “I Have Never Seen as Much Violence”
Iran: Josh Shahryar on the Significance of 13 Aban
The Latest from Iran (8 November): Challenge Renewing?
A translation by Josh Shahryar follows the video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayrQJRy8Jrs[/youtube]
One of the most important happenings that took place after the revolution was the takeover of the American Embassy, both for those who supported it and those who opposed it. Annually, actions were taken to commemorate this event. This year, keeping in mind the current situation in the country, some political groups made announcements, and I also announced that I would come to 7 Tir Square and from 7 Tir would go towards the [American] Embassy. I had especially told the masses that, wherever subversive slogans were chanted, I would stop there so that people would not chant these slogans and those who do could be separated from me.
When we reached Hafte Tir, there were police there and they were treating people very violently. I stopped because I thought maybe they would rethink their actions and, because of my participation, at least allow me to cross through [their lines]. But to the contrary, they became more violent and even struck my guards with batons, injuring two of them. They even threw tear gas [at us] that was very strong and powerful which caused the masses to disperse, and some were facing suffocation. We got back in the vehicle and turned back, and on our way back we witnessed violence against women which was very cruel.
Why did this have to happen? These people were going to come and gather round the Embassy. Some would say “Death to America”, and some might have not said that and said something else like “Islamic Republic”, but we would have tried so that they wouldn’t chant subversive slogans.
But the question I have is more important and it is the dual policies of the Islamic Republic, "Dome Khoroos of Qasame Abbas" [a Persian proverb that illustrates the situation]. The Islamic Republic until recently was always striving to change its policy. They would congratulate and send letters [to America], which wouldn’t even receive replies but [the Iranians] would still try to continue the debate. I cannot read this statement here, so I invite my dear viewers and listeners to read it. It is a discussions by Mir Tajuddini, the representative of the people of Tabriz, and has been published after his trip [abroad] in an Iranian newspaper. He says that there was a meeting where around 50 important American personalities, including politicians, academics and reporters and analysts, met the President. "We were present in the meeting which lasted for over two hours and we had a good discussion."
I as a political participant say that, if such a meeting had been held in the past 20 years at any time during any Government, most certainly Kafanposhan [protesters who wear white cloth in which dead bodies are wrapped by Muslims before they are buried] would have come out to the streets in Qom, Tabriz, and Tehran especially, and they would have firmly fought against this. Now how is it so that when such meetings and discussions are now held, they bring about no complications and daily newspapers like Keyhan and others do not even discuss it and no one raises any objections? But now [on 13 Aban] what has really happened for all this renewed anti-American sentiment, anti-American slogans and Anti-American propaganda?
I neither say that such slogans should be chanted or should not be chanted. What I want to say is that the national interest of the people of Iran should not be exploited by us within the Government every day, based on our analyses which are kept secret and are not revealed to the public.
In one meeting, they sit with 50 Americans and have discussions about Iranian-American relations, Afghanistan, atomic energy, petroleum, and other issues, and then the next day they destroy everything [Karroubi speaks metaphorically --- the English phrase would be they "force things back to square one"]. I feel that these policies would create problems for the situation of our people, and it looks like the government is lost and does not know what to do. And I understand this to be my responsibility to clarify things even if they bring repercussions, for which I do not care. This dual policy is going to erode people’s trust and tomorrow, they will not believe our words. They should not.
Iran: Question for the Regime “What’s Your Next Punch?”
NEW Latest Iran Video: More from 13 Aban
Iran’s New 13 Aban: An Eyewitness Account “I Have Never Seen as Much Violence”
Iran: Josh Shahryar on the Significance of 13 Aban
The Latest from Iran (8 November): Challenge Renewing?
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A translation by Josh Shahryar follows the video:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayrQJRy8Jrs[/youtube]
One of the most important happenings that took place after the revolution was the takeover of the American Embassy, both for those who supported it and those who opposed it. Annually, actions were taken to commemorate this event. This year, keeping in mind the current situation in the country, some political groups made announcements, and I also announced that I would come to 7 Tir Square and from 7 Tir would go towards the [American] Embassy. I had especially told the masses that, wherever subversive slogans were chanted, I would stop there so that people would not chant these slogans and those who do could be separated from me.
When we reached Hafte Tir, there were police there and they were treating people very violently. I stopped because I thought maybe they would rethink their actions and, because of my participation, at least allow me to cross through [their lines]. But to the contrary, they became more violent and even struck my guards with batons, injuring two of them. They even threw tear gas [at us] that was very strong and powerful which caused the masses to disperse, and some were facing suffocation. We got back in the vehicle and turned back, and on our way back we witnessed violence against women which was very cruel.
Why did this have to happen? These people were going to come and gather round the Embassy. Some would say “Death to America”, and some might have not said that and said something else like “Islamic Republic”, but we would have tried so that they wouldn’t chant subversive slogans.
But the question I have is more important and it is the dual policies of the Islamic Republic, "Dome Khoroos of Qasame Abbas" [a Persian proverb that illustrates the situation]. The Islamic Republic until recently was always striving to change its policy. They would congratulate and send letters [to America], which wouldn’t even receive replies but [the Iranians] would still try to continue the debate. I cannot read this statement here, so I invite my dear viewers and listeners to read it. It is a discussions by Mir Tajuddini, the representative of the people of Tabriz, and has been published after his trip [abroad] in an Iranian newspaper. He says that there was a meeting where around 50 important American personalities, including politicians, academics and reporters and analysts, met the President. "We were present in the meeting which lasted for over two hours and we had a good discussion."
I as a political participant say that, if such a meeting had been held in the past 20 years at any time during any Government, most certainly Kafanposhan [protesters who wear white cloth in which dead bodies are wrapped by Muslims before they are buried] would have come out to the streets in Qom, Tabriz, and Tehran especially, and they would have firmly fought against this. Now how is it so that when such meetings and discussions are now held, they bring about no complications and daily newspapers like Keyhan and others do not even discuss it and no one raises any objections? But now [on 13 Aban] what has really happened for all this renewed anti-American sentiment, anti-American slogans and Anti-American propaganda?
I neither say that such slogans should be chanted or should not be chanted. What I want to say is that the national interest of the people of Iran should not be exploited by us within the Government every day, based on our analyses which are kept secret and are not revealed to the public.
In one meeting, they sit with 50 Americans and have discussions about Iranian-American relations, Afghanistan, atomic energy, petroleum, and other issues, and then the next day they destroy everything [Karroubi speaks metaphorically --- the English phrase would be they "force things back to square one"]. I feel that these policies would create problems for the situation of our people, and it looks like the government is lost and does not know what to do. And I understand this to be my responsibility to clarify things even if they bring repercussions, for which I do not care. This dual policy is going to erode people’s trust and tomorrow, they will not believe our words. They should not.
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