digg this!The extraordinary resistance of people in attempting to reclaim their green votes has transformed the political atmosphere in Iran. Tehran and the other major cities are being revolutionized. Sticks, whips, tear gas, and bullets have been used by the supreme leader’s militias but they have been unable to quell this wave of resistance. The struggle in the streets represents the true votes of people, and now the movement for change in Iran is on its proper path. The public presence of millions of people in the streets is an echo of the historic demonstrations of the autumn of 1978, and affirm the actual winner of this election. Comparing this presence with the machinations of Ahmadinejad exposes the fraud within the election. Why was it that those who were claiming 54 percent of the votes of the total population (meaning Ahmadinejad has 11 supporters out of 20) could not bring their supporters to the scene in numbers proportional to those which they claimed? The pro-Ahmadinejad marchers on the Sunday after the election were fully mobilized by the government facilities, brought by buses and trains from different provinces, in an event covered by the media extensively while military forces were brought to the scene. On the other hand, the people’s march on that Monday took place despite the complete obstruction of media coverage, with filtering of pro-Mousavi web sites, jamming of satellite television and a shut-down of mobile phone SMS, and a general atmosphere of threats, intimidation and fear.
The circumstances have now changed, with Mousavi taking up a strong position standing alongside the admirable resistance of the people. Khamenei’s initial retreat was the first outcome of this amazing epic. Mr Khamenei, who in haste and unlike routine procedure confirmed the election, calling it the greatest miracle of God, now recommends that Mousavi pursue his appeal through the Guardian Council. His plan is to calm the situation so people gradually grow tired and give up, while using security and military tools to end the protests and to consolidate the government’s coup. His retreat is a tactic, to prepare a counter-attack. Referring the appeal to the Guardian Council for review is clearly a fool’s errand. Obviously this is an institution whose main officials were supporters of Ahmadinejad lacking competency to judge this matter. The cancellation of the elections’ result is the central demand of the people. Accepting the Guardian Council’s arbitration is a strategic mistake which will lead to failure of the movement. People have shown their power and as a result the Supreme Leader has retreated, showing his fear of the anger of the people. His only hope is for this uprising to somehow subside.
The critical and key factor of success for the movement is the continuation of the effective link between Mousavi and the protesters. The Supreme Leader and his sponsors are trying in every possible way to create a gap between these two. A variety of tactics, including an emphasis on distinctions between Mousavi and the protesters, with an emphasis on credentials in the post-revolutionary period, are being used to attempt to separate the body from the head of the protest movement.
The firm determination, commitment and consistency of Mousavi as well as the focus of the protesters on specific and limited demands such as voiding the election and turning back the coup have been effective remedies to these tactics of divide-and-rule. Further additional demands should not be raised at this point, and outbreaks of violence will turn the situation in favour of the forces behind the coup d’état. People who will come into streets are Mousavi’s largest capital. The existing legal framework does not have any solutions to meet the nation’s demands.
Crucial to achieving victory is a continued emphasis on civil and peaceful methods, avoiding violence and provocation. The civil and organized movement of people will stop the oppression of a totalitarian government. All the opposition groups anywhere must consider organizing in collaboration. Creating small groups and linking them to each other will opposition movement to a large, organized and integrated network. Such a network will result in the unity and integrity of the protesters and will extend their protesting potential. This potential will paralyze the government’s power of suppression.
The current situation in Iranian society indicates that the current dictatorship is nothing but a paper tiger whose facade depends on oil money and the suppression of its citizens. This facade resembles the image of Ahmadinejad on the day of election, who looked like a corpse. The people who are in the streets demanding the government’s respect for their votes belong to all social classes, and there are no ideological, class, or cultural distinctions among them. They are the image of a diverse society which at its heart despises fraud, dictatorship, coups and cheating.
