Iranian Elections Erupt in Utter Chaos

[Warped]

Disputed Iran Election Prompts Rioting

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI

AP
posted: 37 MINUTES AGO
comments: 2723
filed under: World News

TEHRAN, Iran (June 13) — Opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad clashed with police in the heart of Iran's capital Saturday, pelting them with rocks and setting fires in the worst unrest in Tehran in a decade. They accused the hard-line president of using fraud to steal election victory from his reformist rival.
The brazen and angry confrontations — including stunning scenes of masked rioters tangling with black-clad police — pushed the self-styled reformist movement closer to a possible moment of truth: Whether to continue defying Iran's powerful security forces or, as they often have before, retreat into quiet dismay and frustration over losing more ground to the Islamic establishment.

But for at least one day, the tone and tactics were more combative than at any time since authorities put down student-led protests in 1999. Young men hurled stones and bottles at anti-riot units and mocked Ahmadinejad as an illegitimate leader. The reformists' new hero, Mir Hossein Mousavi, declared himself the true winner of Friday's presidential race and urged backers to resist a government based on "lies and dictatorship."
Authorities, too, pushed back with ominous measures apparently seeking to undercut liberal voices: jamming text messages, blocking pro-Mousavi Web sites and Facebook and cutting off mobile phones in Tehran.
The extent of possible casualties and detentions was not immediately clear. Police stormed the headquarters of Iran's largest reformist party, the Islamic Iran Participation Front, and arrested several top reformist leaders, said political activists close to the party.The activists spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Mousavi did not appear in public, but warned in a Web message: "People won't respect those who take power through fraud."
Many backers took this call to the streets. Thousands of protesters — mostly young men — roamed through Tehran looking for a fight with police and setting trash bins and tires ablaze. Pillars of black smoke rose among the mustard-colored apartment blocks and office buildings in central Tehran. In one side road, an empty bus was engulfed in flames.

Police fought back with clubs, including mobile squads on motorcycles swinging truncheons.
The scuffles began when protesters gathered hours outside the Interior Ministry around the time officials announced the final election results showing a nearly 2-to-1 landslide for Ahmadinejad. Demonstrators chanted "the government lied" and waved the ribbons of Mousavi's "green" movement — the signature color of his youth-driven campaign.
"I won't surrender to this manipulation," said a statement on Mousavi's Web site. "The outcome of what we've seen from the performance of officials ... is nothing but shaking the pillars of the Islamic Republic of Iran's sacred system and governance of lies and dictatorship."
The door for possible compromise was closed by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He could have used his near-limitless powers to intervene in the election dispute. But, in a message on state TV, he urged the nation to unite behind Ahmadinejad, calling the result a "divine assessment."
There are no independent election monitors in Iran. Mousavi's claims, however, point to some noticeable breaks with past election counting.
The tallies from previous elections — time-consuming paper ballots — began to trickle in hours after polls closed. This time, huge chunks of results — millions at a time — poured in almost immediately from a huge turnout of about 85 percent of Iran's 46.2 million voters. The final outcome: 62.6 percent of the vote to Ahmadinejad and 33.75 for Mousavi, a former prime minister from the 1980s.
The U.S. refused to accept Ahmadinejad's claim of a landslide re-election victory said it was looking into allegations of election fraud.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she hoped the outcome reflects the "genuine will and desire" of Iranian voters. At a joint appearance with Clinton, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said his country was "deeply concerned" by reports of irregularities in the election.
Past Iranian elections were considered generally fair. In 2005, when Ahmadinejad was first elected, the losing candidates claimed irregularities at the polls, but the charges were never investigated.
"The majority of Iranians are certain that the fraud is widespread," said Tehran-based analyst Saeed Leilaz. "It's like taking 10 million votes away from Mousavi and giving them to Ahmadinejad."
Whether this is enough to spawn a sustained opposition movement remains an open question.
Much depends on how much they are willing to risk. The heartland of Iran's liberal ranks is the educated and relatively affluent districts of north Tehran. It's also the showcase for the gains in social freedoms that began with the election of President Mohammad Khatami in 1997: makeup, Internet cafes, head scarves that barely cover hair and satellite dishes that are technically illegal but common.
The ruling clerics tolerate all that to a point — part of a tacit arrangement that the liberties stay as long as reformists remain politically meek. A real protest movement could threaten their coveted Western-looking lifestyle and risk a brutal response from groups vowing to defend the Islamic system.
The political chief of the powerful Revolutionary Guard has warned it would crush any "revolution" against the Islamic regime by Mousavi's "green movement" — drawing parallels to the "velvet revolution" of 1989 in then-Czechoslovakia.
Ahmadinejad accused the foreign media of producing coverage that harmed the Iranian people, saying "a large number of foreign media ... organized a full-fledged fight against our people."
Authorities also called foreign journalists with visas to cover the elections, including members of The Associated Press, and told them they should prepare to leave the country. Italian state TV RAI said one of its crews was caught in the clashes in front Mousavi's headquarters. Their Iranian interpreter was beaten with clubs by riot police and officers confiscated the cameraman's tapes, the station said.
"The massive demonstrations of police and army presence on the streets was designed to show that they were quite ready to kill protesters if they had to in order to impose order," said Patrick Clawson, deputy director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "On the whole, these guys in north Tehran who are terribly upset about what is happening are not ready to die."
Hadi Ghaemi, spokesman for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, denounced the outcome as "a Tehran Tiananmen" — a reference to China's brutal 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy activists — and urged the international community not to recognize the result.
There were also protests by Mousavi supporters in the southern city of Ahvaz in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan who shouted, "Mousavi, take our votes back!" witnesses said.
Mousavi called on his backers to avoid violence, but he is still talking tough about pressing his claims of election fraud. He charges the polls closed early but has not fully outlined all of his fraud allegations.
Unlike his ally Khatami, Mousavi is a hardened political veteran who led the country during the grim years of the 1980-88 war with Iraq. He also could join forces with the powerful political patriarch Heshemi Rafsanjani, who strongly opposed Ahmadinejad's re-election during the intense monthlong campaign.
Amjad Atallah, a Washington-based regional analyst, called it "one of the most existential moments" in Iran since 1979 Islamic Revolution.
"You can't overstate how important what is happening now is for Iran," he said.
In Tehran, several Ahmadinejad supporters cruised the streets at dawn waving Iranian flags out of car windows and shouting "Mousavi is dead!"
They were quickly overwhelmed by the Mousavi backers.
The protesters — some hiding their faces with masks — still wandered the streets after nightfall as some fires still burned. The pungent smell of burning rubber and smoldering trash lingered in some parts of the city.
Hundreds of anti-riot police blocked the streets leading to Tehran University's dormitory, home to thousands of students and the site of the 1999 student riots that marked the biggest disturbances in post-revolution Iran. University exams nationwide were postponed until next month.
Oddly, normal life was interspersed with the anger. People continued shopping and stores remained open.
With the Internet and mobile texting down, some Iranians turned to Twitter to voice their views.
"Very disappointed with Iran elections," said one entry."Apparently still a backward regressive nation."
Another: "Elections in Iran: stayed tuned as it gets interesting (& maybe scary)."
Ahmadinejad addressed a crowd in Tehran, but did not mention the unrest, saying only "a new era has begun in the history of the Iranian nation."
But there were no hints of any new policy shifts on key international issues such as Iran's standoff over its nuclear program and the offer by President Barack Obama to open dialogue after a nearly 30-year diplomatic estrangement. All high-level decisions are controlled by the ruling theocracy.
Brian Murphy reported from Cairo.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2009-06-12 06:18:20

http://news.aol.com/article/iranian-election/487713?icid=main|main|dl1|link2|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Firanian-election%2F487713
http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/AOL%20News/rivals-both-claim-victory-in-irans-election/26256129001
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNzcd-eKyqk

this is crazy!! I'd hate to be in that country right now. Everyone hates your country, your leaders seem to be nuts, and everyone in the world wants to gang up and nuke you to death. Besides North Korea, Darfur, Somalia, etc is there a worse place??

could a mod change the title?? I messed up the word Erupt

 

[Sheepo]

Is 'reupt' French or something?

 

[Saturos]

OMG, I like, TOTALLY didn't expect that to happened. The Iranian Republic is like, the cultural capital of the universe and it's people are the most civilized humans on Earth.

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!

 

[<RJMC>]

and here comes the "the protester are payed/brainwashed/seduced/secret agents/confused by the evil west of doom and we are saving the world of this pesky traitors/seeds of doom/criminals of hate/....." I am very used to this

thats what have been happening in my country in the last years

and sure I will see this european socialists praising iran to "reveal against the tiranny while here the police suppress our social uprising cuz that stuff dont happens in countryes like iran"

 

[Warped]

the photographer seems to be pretty damn close to all of this. I got these off the AOL site, which does a better job than CNNs pics

 

[Sheepo]

OMG, I like, TOTALLY didn't expect that to happened. The Iranian Republic is like, the cultural capital of the universe and it's people are the most civilized humans on Earth.

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!

Wow, blatantly racist generalizations. Well done.

 

[Saturos]

Wow, blatantly realist generalizations. Well done.

/fixed

 

[Dog--]

Udder?

Chaos?

YES!

 

[Warped]

Wow, blatantly racist generalizations. Well done.

I watched a video on google about their culture and everything. Really interesting people and customs they have. And I hate how everyone jumps on the bandwagon these days. "NUKE IRAN!! WOOOOO!!" "NUKE NORTH KOREA!!! **** YEAH!!" and shit like that. humans all over the world bleed only red and it'll only take an act or threat of worldwide catastrophe for us to realize this

 

[Saturos]

I watched a video on google about their culture and everything. Really interesting people and customs they have. And I hate how everyone jumps on the bandwagon these days. "NUKE IRAN!! WOOOOO!!" "NUKE NORTH KOREA!!! **** YEAH!!" and shit like that. humans all over the world bleed only red and it'll only take an act or threat of worldwide catastrophe for us to realize this

^agree We need an alien invasion.

Also, just because I've grown apathetic to catastrophes in the mid-east doesn't automatically make me a racist. Racism=hatred towards an ethnic or culture. I don't hate these people, but things that happen over there like this are so predictable nowadays I've drained myself of all the sorrow for them I possibly could, which wasn't much in the first place tbh. I can't mope around feeling sorry for everyone or I'll be an emotional mess simply because I'm powerless to do anything about it. So why drone over it?

They just need to grow a pair and overthrow their damn dictators and extremist warlords if they want to get anywhere in their society and to stop every other country from putting them on their hit-lists.

 

[Sheepo]

OMG, I like, TOTALLY didn't expect that to happened. The Iranian Republic is like, the cultural capital of the universe and it's people are the most civilized humans on Earth.

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!

Assuming this entire post is sarcastic (although I'm sure you'll say it's not, now that I'm saying this), you basically said Iran had a shitty culture and it's people are uncivilized.

 

[Saturos]

Assuming this entire post is sarcastic (although I'm sure you'll say it's not, now that I'm saying this), you basically said Iran had a shitty culture and it's people are uncivilized.

It's not entirely the people's fault though. They've got 2,000+ years of brainwashing against them thanks to dictators and extremist wackos.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Saturos generalizing about an entire culture? No wai, this is srsly some outlying behavior, perhaps his account has been hacked.

 

[Sheepo]

It's not entirely the people's fault though. They've got 2,000+ years of brainwashing against them thanks to dictators and extremist wackos.

You aren't even trying to deny it?

What it be cool if some one said, "Black people are much less intelligent than white people, but it's not their fault, they come from such a primitive culture"?

 

[Diesel_Power]

It's not entirely the people's fault though. They've got 2,000+ years of brainwashing against them thanks to dictators and extremist wackos.

Your an idiot. You clearly don't understand whats going on.

The people protesting are the one's who are NOT brainashed. They're the one's sick of living under Islamic law. They don't want to go to war with America. They want to live in a more tolerant and open society.

The terrorists and Muslim extremists win from the results of this election and are too busy celebrating.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

OMG, I like, TOTALLY didn't expect that to happened. The Iranian Republic is like, the cultural capital of the universe and it's people are the most civilized humans on Earth.

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!

Oh wait, Iran has a higher voter turnout than the U.S.--clearly they're all brainwashed scum-sucking sand ******s who wouldn't understand democracy if it bitchslapped them in the face.

 

[Saturos]

You aren't even trying to deny it?

What it be cool if some one said, "Black people are much less intelligent than white people, but it's not their fault, they come from such a primitive culture"?

No, as in "that's not a cool thing to say" and intelligence != civilization.
I'm sorry if my take on Iran's situation was too blunt for you, but someone around here needs to be.

Their country is shit right now because of their leaders but also because the people themselves allowed them to go this far.
Sorry, but they aren't very civilized no matter what color you try to paint it. There's just no politically correct way to soften it.

Their lives and culture can be improved though if they just f**king step up and do what needs to be done.

 

[Sheepo]

Wow, you just don't get it. You are saying Iran, as an entire nation, culture, and people is uncivilized. I don't think you're 'too blunt for me', I think you're either ignorant of what your words mean or what you're talking about entirely.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

No, as in "that's not a cool thing to say" and intelligence != civilized.

I'm sorry if my take on Iran's situation was too blunt for you, but someone around here needs to be.

Their country is shit right now because of their leaders but also because the people themselves allowed them to go this far south.

Sorry, but they aren't very civilized no matter what color you try to paint it. There's just no politically correct way to soften it.

Their lives and culture can be improved though if they just f**king step up.

Cool story, Rush. You're quite the diplomat. Just out of curiosity do you consider our beloved U.S. to be "civilized"?

 

[Saturos]

Wow, you just don't get it. You are saying Iran, as an entire nation, culture, and people is uncivilized. I don't think you're 'too blunt for me', I think you're either ignorant of what your words mean or what you're talking about entirely.

/denial

Cool story, Rush. You're quite the diplomat. Just out of curiosity do you consider our beloved U.S. to be "civilized"?

No. The US government is only a smokescreen that veils human's true nature but is still not a true civilization. Our legal system is constructed in a manner so that our most basic human needs are met without too much unnecessary bloodshed and human's worst tendencies are circumvented. Look what happens when government is removed for a brief period due to disasters like Katrina. There are no longer any means to enforce boundaries and humans act like a bunch of savage cavemen.

What we see in places like Iran is the true colors of human nature at it's finest. (or worse)

 

[Sheepo]

All dragonshirts are gay. Sorry, maybe I'm too blunt for you.

Spoiler

Or maybe I'm taking information out of context and making a grossly unreasonable assumption based on a select few cases

 

[Krynn72]

But also dragonshirts are actually gay.

 

[Saturos]

Shut up and read my post assgoblins. I'm spending valuable time trying to explain myself here.

 

[Sheepo]

I already have. Basically, "I'm Saturos and I make gross generalizations about things I'm not very informed on."

 

[Saturos]

I already have. Basically, "I'm Saturos and I make gross generalizations about things I'm not very informed on."

Well then, de-brief me on "that crucial bit of information I don't know" then smarty pants. :arms:

What should they do about it? Democracy doesn't work in those kinds of situations. You can't, "vote off the guy who has a f**king gun to your head".

Or better yet, "Sue their leaders because of collateral damage and loss of loved ones and/or property".

 

[Gunner]

It's not entirely the people's fault though. They've got 2,000+ years of brainwashing against them thanks to dictators and extremist wackos.

Don't take this the wrong way but you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about.

 

[Krynn72]

How about you read a book or two? Everything you've ever said on hl2.net has been about your ignorant and naive opinion that could only have festered from a lack of education. You either didnt pay much attention in school, or didnt go to school. Anyone out of highschool has more real information on the world than you seem to have.

 

[xcellerate]

Wow, blatantly racist generalizations. Well done.

stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason.

"I bet a white male with a college degree who has never done drugs owns and drives this car"

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Shut up and read my post assgoblins. I'm spending valuable time trying to explain myself here.

Just like you read the OP, amirite?

 

[Sheepo]

Well then, de-brief me on "that crucial bit of information I don't know" then smarty pants.

Hmm, really, what information is there? How does one know that they can definitively judge an entire people? The actions or civil unrest that occur in recent headlines? The personal life stories of every day people there? Their history, their art, their literature? Oh, that's right, no one has that kind of knowledge or power, and if they did, how narrow minded could they be to say something like "IRAN BAD!" or "COOKIE FOR IRAN!"? If you're going to make statements about Iran, try to keep it small and put your sickening generalizations to rest.

 

[Krynn72]

stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason.

"I bet a white male with a college degree who has never done drugs owns and drives this car"

Firstly, he said generalizations. Not stereotypes.

Secondly, I bet every black person who only finished high school and does drugs drives that car. Right?

 

[xcellerate]

Secondly, I bet every black person who only finished high school and does drugs drives that car. Right?

No, if they want twenty-fo's on their car they're gonna have sell drugs too.


ooooooooooooooooh

generalizations and stereotypes are enough of the same thing. I generalized black people in my post, whatever. Coincidentally my 3 black friends drive:

Spoiler

silver one:

 

[Saturos]

Debating here is akin to bashing my head against a brick. It's just no use.
I'd have more satisfaction slamming my fingers in a door tbh.

Well, ok then. I'll yield for the time being and just talk about games or something in the games forum or something scientific in the Lounge.
Maybe politics is simply just one of my few intellectual weaknesses.


-8 Charisma


*I hate you guys.* :dozey:

 

[VirusType2]

OH ****. Those pictures on the first page look like scenes from a new Resident Evil game.

They just need to grow a pair and overthrow their damn dictators and extremist warlords if they want to get anywhere in their society and to stop every other country from putting them on their hit-lists.

That's what they are trying to do. Obviously you didn't read much of the news article, but you can see the pictures. Those are citizens that are fighting police officers and burning police vehicles because they think the election was fixed.

Burning buses and police vehicles and taking on the Iran police force physically certainly qualifies as 'growing a pair'.

Their country is shit right now because of their leaders but also because the people themselves allowed them to go this far.

No I'm sorry, they think the elections have been fixed in the past as well. 'vote counting irregularities'.

Sorry, but they aren't very civilized no matter what color you try to paint it. There's just no politically correct way to soften it.

Let me put it to you in a way you can understand: was The Civil War CIVILIZED?

Their lives and culture can be improved though if they just f**king step up and do what needs to be done.

Didn't you say this already? Just ****ing step up is what they are doing, and you are criticizing them for it!

 

[xdrive]

Welcome to the islamic rupublic of iran. elections will be rigged to make sure that only people that support the old ways of things and who support the supreme leaders religious views will be elected and reformists will not.

 

[Jintor]

Debating here is akin to bashing my head against a brick. It's just no use.
I'd have more satisfaction slamming my fingers in a door tbh.

You're not debating, you're restating a gross generalization as fact and offering no evidence to back it up.

 

[Warped]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9oIZpFFyIY
Everyone sit down, shud up, and please watch the nice video, thank you

 

[unozero]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=40c_1244915876

lol @ above post...some places in africa are nice doesn't mean I'd go there lol.
if ur a chick who wants to dress nice in public you wouldn't want to go iran or as a adulterer,homosexual etc......

 

[Eejit]

This just in: Unozero is a crossdresser.

I agree with Saturos though, the current Iranian regime has been in power for 2000 years guys! Those uncivilized louts should have done something before now, what.

 

[nurizeko]

What a surprise, who woulda thought people of Iran, your country doesn't hold fair elections, well **** me silly and call me Mohammad.





I doubt its chances but who knows, it may lead to an overthrowing of the grand dickheadatola.