New protests surge in Iran as Ahmadinejad denies Holocaust again
A rally in Iran turned violent Friday as opposition supporters defied warnings and thronged the streets. Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad repeated his claim that the Holocaust was a lie.
By Kristen Chick | Correspondent 09.18.09
Thousands of Iranian opposition supporters in Tehran defied warnings Friday and marched in protests that were intended as an annual day of solidarity with the Palestinians and later turned violent.
As tens of thousands of government supporters marched and chanted “Death to Israel,” opposition protesters thronged to the streets wearing their signature green and chanting “Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I sacrifice my life for Iran.”
An opposition leader was reportedly attacked during the protest, and sporadic fights broke out between the opposition protesters and government supporters and security forces.
Marchers had answered a call by opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi to keep the protest movement alive after three months of government crackdown following June presidential elections. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed victory over Mr. Mousavi and other challengers despite widespread complaints of fraud, spawning massive protests. The last large antigovernment rally took place in mid-July.
Al Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, is an annual day of protest in Iran against Israel and in solidarity with the Palestinians. Opposition supporters had been warned by the regime not to disrupt the traditional message with antigovernment slogans.
According to the Los Angeles Times, there were unconfirmed reports of tear gas being fired into the crowds, where protesters chanted in support of Mousavi.
Witnesses said thousands if not tens of thousands of opposition supporters had taken to the streets. Plainclothes and uniformed security officials lined the streets as loudspeakers broadcast officially sanctioned slogans. Witnesses interviewed by Iranian opposition radio said opposition figure Mehdi Karroubi could be seen marching among the protesters….
On the west side of Enghelab Square, hundreds of government supporters chanting, “The blood in our veins is a gift to our leader,” marched toward Azadi Square to force protesters to leave.
The opposition protesters countered with, “The blood in our veins is a gift to our nation.”
The Daily Telegraph reports that at least 10 people were arrested during the protests and fighting had erupted between opposition and government supporters in central Tehran.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ahmadinejad, speaking at Tehran University, repeated his claim that the Holocaust did not take place.
Both Mousavi and Mr. Karroubi had announced plans to attend the rally. The Associated Press reports that another opposition leader, former president Mohamed Khatami, was attacked during the rally.
A reformist Web site cites witnesses as saying the attackers pushed ex-President Mohammad Khatami to the ground. It says opposition activists rescued him and quickly repelled the assailants.
Khatami has sided with the opposition in the post-election crisis that has gripped Iran. Another reformist Webs site says his turban was disheveled and he was forced to leave the march.
Al Jazeera reports sporadic clashes with security forces and between rival protesters. The Republican Guard had warned opposition supporters not to demonstrate Friday.
Iran’s opposition claims that around 70 protesters were killed in demonstrations after the June election. The government maintains only 36 died. About 200 opposition supporters remain detained, the government has put about 100 on mass trial, according to the Christian Science Monitor.
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2. Duff Brainard | 09.18.09
You know, it would do for the CSM to actually relate the quote wherein Mr. Ahmadinejad denies the holocaust. How am I supposed to know that he wasn’t misquoted or related something along the lines of the modern state of Israel milking the Holocaust for all it was worth. Israel just got rebuked by a UN commision of inquiry for having killed 1600 Palestinians in January in retaliation of a Hamas rocket attack that killed 3 Israelis. Was that what the sanctioned march was about? The truth gets clouded enough. Please try to stick by some semblance of journalistic standards. Hit me with the truth. Don’t worry about the news getting too nuanced. I’ll still recognize Ahmadinejad as anti-democratic. You aren’t Murdoch-owned after all. Are you?
3. Parviz Tehrani | 09.18.09
The Iranian people will set itself free of the tyranny one day. The image of Iran is tarnished by a dictatorial regime that represents less than 1% of the people of Iran!
Iranians are pro-western. Support people of Iran!
Thank you.
4. Bobby Fontaine | 09.18.09
There are a lot of holocaust deniers, some of them are very educated orthodox Jews. They don’t deny that millions of Jews were exterminated by Hitler’s Nazis. They tell another side of the holocaust story that as far as my limited access to true historical accounts go, cast the holocaust in a different light that how it is commonly portrayed. This have to do with Hitler’s having a grandfather who is a Rothschild, a Zionist family that began the world banking trade, the wealthiest Jews in the world at the time.
I don’t know if this is true, along with countless other alleged connections that make it look as if the holocaust was some kind of conspiracy that some Jews played an important role in designing. This is not that far fetched if you look at what Jews are willing to discuss about the history of the African slave trade that was run by Africans. Historically speaking, it is not unprecedented for people to turn on their own people for political and financial gain, not at all, it happens in every culture and every country in one way or another.
If there is nothing to these theories, the only way the issue can be put to rest is to flesh it out openly and thoroughly. The political correctness movement that prevents this from happening is what allows leaders, if you can call him that, like Ahmadinejad to abuse the issue for political gain. If Jews have nothing to hide, they should force such a debate out into the open themselves to put the issue to rest once and for all. If they are hiding a side of the holocaust that is not favorable to their position of power in the world, well they are not doing a very good job of it. And the way they treat the Palestinians is not unlike how Jews under Hitler were treated before the holocaust.
Whatever the truth of the matters are that have caused Israel to back itself into the corner it is now, not addressing it is only going to make it worse. If there is fault with Jews to be found, it would be followed by forgiveness if they finally stood up and got it off their chest. If not, a lot of steam would be let out of the sails of Israel’s enemies. Either way, Israel wins while the path they are currently on is a loser and it is time that everyone admits it so the world can finally end World War II and move on.
5. mary rachel kelly | 09.18.09
Very strange that these protests are receiving so much attention. I doubt the figures of the crowd. We who protested the war with Iraq know where the real heart of the Media lies, and it is a dark heart, longing for a dark day. We should leave the Muslims alone.
6. Zorgon | 09.18.09
Ahmadinejad has proven by his reaffirmation that the “Holocaust never happened” that his meeting in October with The US and Europeans will be nothing more than a smoke screen to buy time to develop nuclear weapon. He is laughing at us. This is all going to end badly!
7. hass | 09.18.09
Iran doesn’t have “Republican” Guards. They have Revolutionary Guards. It was the Iraqis who had Republican Guards. And Ahmadinejad says that the issue of the Holocaust is manipulated for gain by Israel, not that it “never happened”. Note that the Telegraph doesn’t quote his exact words. Note also that it is a historical FACT that the ZIonists collaborated with the Nazis.
8. Rey Hassan | 09.18.09
Is it any wonder that this unenlighened and ignornant man would deny the holcaust in light of the koranic assertions in its scriptures that Jews are in disobedience and Christian theology is error. The fundamentals set themselves in opposition. Anyone that does not think or believe in a Devil ought to hit the reset button.
9. YourNameHere | 09.18.09
Police talk to criminals. Does that mean they are “in effect giving support” to them (your words, Shalom)? I fail to see how having a dialog with Iran is the same as giving them support. There is nothing about a policy of dialog that translates into advocacy. Or do you prefer the old tactic of “if you do something we don’t like we’ll never talk to you again” ?
11. Mark | 09.18.09
All men and women should be free to voice their opinions. Basic freemdoms are a right to all mankind. Regimes that suppress their own population will not flourish for long.
12. Darioush | 09.18.09
I think you have made a big mistake on your report. There were Ten Thousands of Iranian opposition supporters in Tehran not Thousands. Instead, thousands of government supporters marched and chanted for their own purposes.
13. SFK | 09.18.09
The taboo of negotiation between Iran and US must be removed forever. It is better for Iranian people, not for their government.
14. Peter Markus | 09.18.09
According to Al Jazeera the Iranian president called the Holocaust a “false pretext” for the creation of the Israeli state.
Did he deny the Holocaust’s reality or only deny it’s validity as an argument in favor of a Jewish state? Either way, he gives no shrift to the matter - so what’s the difference?
As far as Hitler being in league with the Zionists, or being partially Jewish himself, I can only add the comment that these bs claims have been debunked over and over again over the years after being repeatedly raised by Holocaust deniers.
The Nazis invented this technique - It’s known as the “The Big Lie”; If you repeat a falsehood often enough it will become the truth.
peace
15. MAURICE | 09.18.09
Bobby Fontain and other doubters of the holocaust
All you have to do to confirm the Holocaust is visit the numerous remains of extremination camps holocaust museums & exhibits and read books watch films & attend a continuos stream of lectures by holocaust survivors historians and non jewish vitnesses to the holocaust etc. etc. etc.
The deniers to the Holocaust are in the minoroty and motivated by political agendas or hatred of the Jews. If Ahmadinejad would speak as a private person to a non political western audience he may present a different story.
16. michael humen | 09.19.09
ahmadinejad is anotehr hitler,he kill & never stop killing the people of iran
WE SHOULD STOP HIM
17. Dav | 10.04.09
Old Almanacs never lie. 15,748,091 Jews with
240,000 in Germany
World Almanac USA, 1947, pg. 748: World Jewish Population — 15,690,000
Statistical Handbook of Council of Churches USA 1951 — 15,300,000
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1. Shalom Freedman | 09.18.09
It is odd that the United States is now opening a dialogue with an anti- democratic regime which violently suppresses its own people’s freedom of expression. It is difficult to understand how the Administration in Washington is in effect giving support to a regime which represents the exact opposite of basic democratic values.
The present regime in Iran has defied the world community persistently for the past ten years in regard to its nuclear program. Its leader not simply denies the Holocaust but threatens the destruction of democratic Israel.
How can the United States reasonably justify this policy of appeasement and do- nothingism?