Khamenei Praises Arab Revolts As Iran Crushes Its Own Protests

[maddezmom]

Source: RFE

Iran's Islamic regime and the opposition Green Movement have embarked on a tug-of-war to voice solidarity with the antigovernment demonstrations convulsing Arab countries, as Iran's own long-dormant protest organizations shows signs of reviving

The latest phase in an ideological struggle to claim spiritual kinship with the Arab wave of revolt took place on February 20, when Iranian protesters were met with a brutal crackdown from security forces after taking to the streets for the second time in a week.

'Now It's Time For Sayed Ali'

Although international media were barred from covering the gatherings, a video obtained and published by Reuters showed demonstrators chanting slogans sympathetic to the movements that recently toppled the long-serving presidents of Egypt and Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. "Mubarak, Ben Ali, now it's time for Sayed Ali," protesters chanted in a slogan demanding the removal of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

But the sentiments clashed with Khamenei's own comments, which insisted that Egypt's "people movements" and other Arab rebellions were in line with Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.



Read more: http://www.rferl.org/content/khamenei_backs_arab_revolt/2316073.html

[WatsonT]

1. Well sure

Iranians aren't arab. No revolution for them.

[tigereye]

2. irony is all, eh?

Although if you read early accounts of the Iranian revolution (ie. Reading Lolita in Tehran), there were many positive and populist aspects to the revolution initially, that were co-opted/taken over by oppressive fanatics. Let us hope that will not occur in Egypt or other countries. Every culture has a different approach to democracy and freedom, but those in power in Iran seem to have forgotten what freedom should be.



hey mm! How are ya? :hi:

[blackspade]

3. This has to have the Ayatollahs shit scared.

I think they forget that they got where they are on the backs of student and young people protesting against the Shah.