Update from Tehran: Of Riots, Clerics, and Text Messages

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http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/davidcorn/2009/06/update-from-tehran-of-riots-cl.html

Update from Tehran: Of Riots, Clerics, and Text Messages

By David Corn | June 18, 2009


President Barack Obama continues to walk a fine line on Iran. At Wednesday's press briefing, Robert Gibbs noted that Obama shares the "international concern" regarding Iran's flawed--or stolen--presidential election, but that it's up to Iranians to choose their own leaders. That is, he's not going to denounce Ahmadinejad or support Mousvai--and make it easier for the autocrats of Tehran to brand Mousavi a puppet of the Great Satan. Meanwhile, this gripping, historic moment continues.

I'm fortunate to be part of a listserv for experts around the world on the Middle East and Near East. Some are in Iran. Many have contacts--including friends and family--within Iraq. These listserv participants have been providing a good flow of news and views on what's transpiring in Iran. On Wednesday night, one member in Iran provided this "Tehran Update":

DEMONSTARTIONS INSPIRING. The discipline and self-control of demonstrators over the last several days, even after fatal violence on June 15th, was inspiring to watch and to be in! When an AN supporter appeared, they were confronted not with boos or hisses, but with a silent sea of hands in the air with the v for victory sign. I was proud to be there. One of the reformist clerics just before his arrest said "I have only just now realized how far behind our supporters we actually are." Of course the pro-electoral recount side are outflanked organizationally: without an organization or means of communication or accessible leaders it's not clear how much further the demonstrations can go. No objectives can be discussed or developed, and no planning can be coordinated. One cannot even tell if communications - such as the printed flyers yesterday, apparently from Mousavi, telling people NOT to demonstrate - are genuine or not. But then consider what is being achieved despite all these disadvantages! And it has become clear that this election struggle can have very wide implications for the entire political system.

RIOTS. Last night (night of June 17th) there was pitched battle in Gandhi street between ordinary youth on the one hand coming off the peaceful demonstration around Vanak Square and Basiji's on motorcycles on the other. The latter were smashing car windows and attacking people. It was good thing I was wearing sneakers! I was able to drive home after midnight when things had calmed down. There was an ambulance near Vanak Sq. apparently loading three people with gunshot wounds. There were hundreds of riot police sitting and standing in Vanak Sq. The pattern seems to be attack the stragglers on their way home late at night when its dark.

WHAT'S AT STAKE BEYOND THE ELECTION. One thing at least is about who will count as persons deserving respect in the nation. AN's victory speech was full of ominous - and historically all too familiar - references to his opponents as trash, flotsam and jetsam (Khas o Khashak) and dirt, who have to "submit" to the undifferentiated undivided will of the "nation." Interestingly the state TV yesterday has begun a more subtle and effective strategy of inclusion: reminding everyone that all candidates were regime-approved and so are part of the family, and drawing a line between all candidates on the one hand and the forces of disorder on the other. This reflects a slight but significant distinction between AN and the Leader as well as the up till now latent struggle between them. AN wavers continuously on whether the "nation" is equivalent to the entire population (70 million), all those eligible to vote (46 million), all those that did vote (40 million), or only those that voted for him (24 million). He clearly leans to the last definition. The Leader, for obvious reasons, is wary of permitting the boundary of "we" to be drawn minimally exclusively around AN's supporters. But he is perhaps caught between the two. In sum, a big part of what is driving people is the outrage of being so openly insulted and dismissed, whatever the election results. Even by AN's official count, his opponents are still fourteen million people.

COMMUNICATION BLACKOUT INCREASING. As of this morning, all TV signals in my neighborhood are blocked. Some e-m gets through if one is using Outlook but not via a web-based e-m. No web site page is opening, although different parts of the city experience different degrees of access. So no access here to twitter. I am told the jamming of satellite signals use especially strong beams able to "jam" all satellite signals. I don't know the technology and I am worried about and its affect on us especially small children. We live right next to a communications ministry tower so apparently get the full blast. Mobile communications switched off throughout the day - when there is a demonstration beginning, and turned back on about an hour ago about midnight here. So no texting. Last night on Iranian state TV in an interview with the Guardian Council representative viewers where asked via ticker on the bottom of the screen to send in comments by text message. Someone called and said, "no text service is possible". The message was removed.

Elsewhere I've written about Tehran's war on satellite dishes.