Friday, October 10, 2008

Shiraz Students Jeer and Heckle Larijani

Iran's head of the Islamic Assembly, Ali Larijani was jeered and heckled by Shiraz university students at the Fajr Hall yesterday, where he was invited to speak by the hardline students. Herasat (Informers) agents at the university as well intelligence ministry operators were there in large numbers and had declared no placards or mobile phones were allowed to be carried into the hall. Everyone was searched before being allowed in. Once the students entered the hall, they saw Baseej students who had already occupied the front seats.

Despite all these measures, many of the dissident students managed to enter the hall and confronted the Baseej students by singing Yare Dabestani, the Iranian student solidarity anthem.

As soon as Larijani arrived and started his speech, the students shouted, 'Ceremonial Majlis (parliament), we don't want, we don't want'. Larijani continued by praising Islamic Republic's advances in nuclear technology and said Iran is the only country in the region who has managed to stand up to America's bullying. At this point one of the students got up and shouted 'We have heard these kind of historical fictions before, why don't you talk about the current conditions, the 28% inflation, Kordan's fake PHD certificate, suspension and expulsion of students and what happens to those who oppose the government in Iran?'.

After Larijani finished his speech, the students were told only written questions will be answered. This agitated the students further and they started booing Larijani. Students started shouting, 'Kordan where is your certificate? Majlis where is your supervision?'

Larijani tried to calm the students by saying, 'When Kordan had submitted his certificate, Majlis had no idea it was a fake.' This answer once again agitated the students and one of them got up and said, 'Kordan was your deputy for years, when you were the head of state broadcasting. Kordan has lectured at our universities with fake PHD certificate for years, how could you have not known?'. Larijani replied, he didn't know about his fake certificate when he was the head of broadcasting. This reply prompted even more jeers from the students and they demanded to be able to go behind the podium and ask their questions verbally.

One of the students with the help of others managed to reach the podium, grab the microphone and say, 'I am not addressing you as the head of the Majlis, because I have no regard for such ceremonial titles when a parliament's candidates were filtered and hand selected by the Guardian Council. ' The brave student carried on saying 'I despise three things, number one; Mahmood Ahmadinjad, for his lies and his deceits...' Baseej students at this point launched towards the student and did not let him finish what he was saying. This resulted in complete mayhem and while the Baseej students were shouting 'Death to hypocrites' , other students shouted back by saying 'Death to lackeys' and 'Shame on this government of deceit'. Some of the Baseej got hold of the microphone and shouted 'Champion Ahmadinejad, the Darling of the Young Generation', which even made Larijani laugh out loud. Finally Larijani pleaded for calm and asked the Baseej to back off.

Next written question was regarding the new plans for segregation of sexes at universities, and Larijani answered 'Why do you always want boys and girls to be together?' Students once again erupted and demanded Larijani to apologise. Larijani replied 'I apologise if anyone was offended by what I said.'

At the end, when the students left the hall, they joined some 500 other comrades who were locked behind the doors and had not been allowed to enter. They started singing the student solidarity anthem again and moved towards the main square opposite the Fajr hall and shouted slogans like 'Free all political prisoners', 'Incompetent Majlis, Shame on You'

15 comments:

Hilda, said...

Very interesting. Thanks.
May I translate this into Dutch? with your permission ofcourse?

Azarmehr said...

Of course, I don't own the copyright for the student actions in Iran :)

Send me a link when you do as well and thanks.

Anonymous said...

when that happened?

Azarmehr said...

I said it in the post, yesterday 9th Oct.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, this is off topic...
Do you have any idea what has happened to iranvajahan website?
They haven't posted anything in like 10days.
Sorry again, but along with your blog, I was a regular reader of theirs. I've emailed them, but haven't received an answer.
Hope you can shed some light.
Thank you

Azarmehr said...

anon,

It seems like it has some problem with cache. This is what I do to resolve the problem. Click the Farsi link and then back to the English and that seems to refresh the web page.

Anonymous said...

May this momentum infect the rest of the universities in IRAN....

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing the story.
do you have any information about the consequences of the event happened there? any arrest, beat,..?
if yes, please inform others.
thanks,
G.

Mehrtash said...

Thank you for sharing such important news. Opposition must be real and actioned in order for it to have any effect.

Most people merely talk about opposition; it is better to actually oppose via conduct. This student defiance is necessary, and will hopefully serve to motivate other students, and people in Iran, to defy and stand against the IRI govt.

Anonymous said...

the opposition is not strong. maybe because in contrast to what we think the people are more pro IRI than we would like to think.

seems like people dont care about freedom. these student are just a little group.

Azarmehr said...

Kourosh,

I am in contention with what you said. I think the regime has never been as hated as it is now. But people lack confidence, for a variety of reasons, the appeasement by the West, the brutal crack downs, the memory of the terrible repression in the eighties all make the regime seem invincible to them. The moment this image is cracked, the momentum will pick up.

Winston said...

that's good

Anonymous said...

daneshgah zendeh hast!

Anonymous said...

The image never "cracked" in 79 and the momentum picked up. This image has been cracked for years and the momentum hasn't picked up. Hmmm....

Azarmehr said...

Barmakid,

I am not sure which image you are referring to? Are you referring to the image of credibility? I am referring to the image of invincibility. I believe the Iranian people at the present think the regime is too mighty and powerful for them to take on. They see the regime as always having succeeded to crack down on dissent and the West always having backed down to the regime.