Tehran residents speak up about protests

The Los Angeles Times posted views from some of the Iranian people in a report entitled “Tehran residents speak up about protests and opposition movement” on its website on Monday.

The report quoted a pharmacy student as saying, “One thing is sure: I was in the demonstration on March 1 but not for Mousavi or Karroubi. Not at all. We are subversive. We are against the whole system.”

A 50 year-old businessman was quoted as saying, “The demonstration on March 1 was in Engelab and Azadi avenues and they were more than I had expected. But the difference was the plainclothes police who were among the groups of demonstrators. … As soon as [the protesters] dared to chant slogans, they were arrested and taken away to the waiting buses. I have watched videos … about the demonstrations in Shiraz and Isfahan and other cities. The demonstrations will be escalating if the suppressive militia lets up and is a bit lenient.”

A 54 year-old bookseller was quoted as saying, “… People like me think that it is not worthy to take to the streets and be beaten up or arrested or killed for the sake of Mehdi Karroubi and Mir-Hossein Mousavi and ex-President Mohammad Khatami. We need new goals to fight for. … I believe we need militant groups to fight in parallel to our peaceful demonstrations to exercise our pressure on the regime.”

Source: LA Times