Every where dirty. A big lie seems more difficult to embattle than a small lie. How many times should people be frustrated, lied to, how many times do people have to walk away with disappointment? How many times must they be frustrated and take refuge in frivolous acts? These are important moments in a nation’s life, moments of hope, moments when they act and they expect a reasonable response. When it does not come, they go astray, again made a fool of, ridiculed to no end. It is not enough to learn to govern them, to tackle them, to make them bear unreason because they are afraid. How many times should fear of death, prison and all that goes with it thwart a people’s growth? They are definitely a mature population, why are they ridiculed like that? An old nation, full of pride of its past, cannot even be given the results of an election in a correct manner! This distrust in people, this denigration and humiliation will become the source of ills in the future. Fatalism, anger, frustration, hopelessness and taking of refuge in drugs, in frantic dancing, in escaping the country and never wanting to look back, these are what they have for the future. A sense of shame, a sense of not belonging, a sense of betrayal, and a sense of nauseau at not taking the positive rational course of action, and for what reason? Why is there so much action against people’s future benefits? It is difficult for us to believe that it is Iranian mind behind such behavior, there is disbelief that Iranian mind would be so bad wishing for its own people. So there goes the theory of outside intervention.

23rd of Khordad

The snow is still on the mountains, the fields are green from so much rain in spring. It is definitely a different spring, 2nd of Khordad of 12 years ago, 22 of Khordad of this year. There is still great wind in the air, it can ablaze lots of fire.

Ahmadi Nejad has gone to Russia, Kushner voices doubts, Obama voices apprehension, Rafsanjani is in Qom. The airport is between Qom and Tehran.

On the street front a few prominent figures have gone to the great march of 25th of Khordad, figures are one to two millions. A peaceful march, with green banners. Very quickly the images go on air, everyone sees it on its screens, this is the efficiency of this uprising that it is particularly digital. A digital manifestation, highly sophisticated to call people to vote, to march, to be peaceful, to give the latest. Through the use of cell phones, digital cameras, computers, television, and all that is at hand to record to bring to the global, to share with the whole world, what is happening in the streets of Tehran. Kids who were riding like mad and listening to their rap and dance music have come to the streets to claim their right to the results of their honest participation in democracy: voting. They are showing maturity not only at using instruments, but at self restraint and respecting regulations. Very quickly things are decided and the word spreads. The opposing team tries to integrate whatever the greens decide to use or to do, they also use the green color, they want to march the same day… They wear non-military clothing and enter the crowds and attacking from inside is reported. Countering the movement by entering into it or integrating its symbols has pushed the greens, to become quick and creative and ready to change. News gets spread quickly not to go for the 26th of Khordad March, to stay away from the streets which were supposed to be used. The windows of a few cars which were honking their horns, were smashed.

Late at night when the march had ended, a few men had arrived and smashed the windows of a bank, a number of motorcycles had then arrived and they had left. No sirens on the bank, the next day the report said the marchers had attacked the bank. The men in black, street police, had dark features, were they Iranian? Many are voicing doubts, who are they? But the gunmen on a picture are definitely Iranian, clad in ordinary white shirt and cloth pants. The enemy cannot be one of us!

The scene will now move to the cemetery, seven were killed a few days ago, and again seven were killed yesterday. Families and comrades will be going to the cemetery, and so will the crowds. Ayatollah Montazeri announces three days of mourning, it is respected on PMC television, believed to belong to Hashemi.

My mail box gets filled with news, my telephone rings, I am reading and writing and do I follow what is going on?

Yes, the news is that the counting must be repeated, so the Rahbar had acted incorrectly to have congratulated the “winner” before the view of The Council of the Guardians. This is a point, although not a totally acceptable one, because they might have been forged.

There is something in the air, even when you are not going to a place of manifestations, the rythem of driving has changed, highways are not blocked, the speed is higher. It is sufficient that one or two cars drive and honk their horns, and a whole row begins, Peugeot 206 with a female hand with V sign and a green band. Everywhere they are talking about the events, tonight at 9 “Allaho Akbar,” no, at 10 “Ya Hossein.” The viraging by cars (smoothly passing in between cars) has changed into virag of slogans. Adept to change rapidly and to spread the word in this sprawled out city is incredible.

The audio-space is amazing, going on the roof, you feel the whole city has a voice. This is also a way to know what tendency has your area. Occupation of the audio-space of a city is really exploiting another dimension of the public space, a space not used before for self expression. This recalls the revolutionary nights of 1979.

This event melts in other memories, those of 18th of Tir when Tehran University was ablaze and Khatami was not capable to do anything. This was a marking event, and after this many people got disappointed with Khatami, if he cannot do anything for these students, then he is totally incapable. After this event, students turned inward, end of politics, the digital world opened to them. For some ten years they have channeled their energies into this domain.

Khordad28th, Tupkhane, at 4 o’clock.

Conquest of the public space by the people: A square which is ordinarily a very important bus station, and a row of hi-fi stores, facing the important Communications Center of Tehran, becomes a place for peaceful manifestation of hundreds of thousands of people. They are all clad in black to commemorate the 32 deaths in Tehran and Shiraz. Only a few times slogans were said, others, slogans printed on paper were held to be read: A whole crowd holding white paper. Great number of people were taking films and pictures. No loud speakers were allowed as they did not have a permit to manifest. So the word would go from mouth to mouth. At the beginning it was said that tomorrow they would go to the Friday prayer, but seeing that it was not going to be Khamene’yi speaking, but Kashani, they said they would not go. Not even to the sanctuary of Khomeini, but the last announcement was that they would congregate at Enqelab Square. This shows how things were decided according to circumstances and told to some members of the crowd, and word got spread. When we were in the Square, for a while we were told to sit down, that Moussavi would come to speak. But the asphalt was very hot, we got moving, and later, Moussavi came and drove by. He had stopped in the square for a speech, but without a microphone he would not really be heard.

When the people were marching up street, they held a green band, and it extended really for hundreds of meters, then it was tied to a black ribbon. This was very symbolic, and people held it high in their hands, and the other hand with a V sign. The green and black with white sheets of printed paper was the overwhelming site.

Most of the people had come in small groups, two or three together, but there was a pregnant woman with husband and child, and a family of 5, a man in the wheel chair, an elderly woman sitting on the side walk in her chair almost in tears. As Ferdowsi avenue has a few important banks, there were still men in the offices who stood to watch the passing crowd. What was spectacular was Ferdowsi’s statue which had a green cloth on its right hand.

So, all these digital youth are back on the streets. It is actually a very positive sign, a return to the public scene, after they moved away on the 18th of Tir of ten years ago. They lived in their rooms, or in private homes and partied in private, now with their expertise, after they feel deceived after participating in an election, they are coming to the streets, they are conquering the public space, their friends have sacrificed their lives, and they do not want to go away without being satisfied.

The auditory in the manifestation was low as it was supposed to be a quiet event, but the murmur of the motorcycles was a background noise. All these motorcycles which have been a solution in the paralyzing traffic jams of Tehran, were taking people from place to place, and when they stopped they created this background noise.

I think things will change in a few days, at the Ministry of Interior and in Qom things will become discussed and some middle ground will be chosen. The common sense of the Iranian will play its part, as the integrity and honor of the nation will be at stake. In these few days signs of stepping back are felt, and who would not welcome such signs of maturity. Many serious matters are at stake, and the solution to such a windy spring, is a settlement. Whether it will be the comradeship of those in opposing camps or the family relations of those playing in backstage, some solution will soon be seen. The children of the revolution are now mature men and women and their desire to have jobs, families, homes and transparency in their governance is here to stay. When they leave the public space, they will be more connected.

The poetics of the events: creative power, the power to objectify and then to stylize this objectification which has developed into a long and strong poetic power is seen today, in the slogans, and the capacity to create rhythmic slogans. During the day to recognize each other and get support that they have participated in the event is important. One or two young persons in 206 Peugeot a little green band attached to the anthena or the mirror of the car, speed, V, and honking of the horn, there is recognition of having shared in an important event.

The opposing parties are not the government and the people with a leader, it is the persons who have been governing the country for thirty years who are opposing each other, and the people are supporting one group more than the other. This support for Moussavi is actually support for Hashemi and Khatami and it is crystallized in the person of Moussavi. A young man who was shouting in support of Moussavi, it was actually a making of an idol overnight, something one would give up in a little while. I cannot forget how quickly the young were disappointed in Khatami. So … we cannot really anticipate any drastic change. The level of disagreement is more than what has existed before, and since everyone got involved in voting and voted, this involvement and the deception thereof is getting lots of momentum.

Crossing the limits of what could be said and done, and people have been hurt, so there is some healing to take place. People have to be taken into consideration, and there are definite signs that the government is coming to terms with people’s demands. Even if it is token recompense, they will do it, they need to gain international and people’s support.

Khordad 30th

Another lie, it was finally Khameneyi who said the Friday Prayer, and what a speech, a threat, a looking at events in a totally one sided way, even stronger than his first congratulation speech. So, he is not acting as an old man of wisdom, is taking sides, he is threatening, he is accusative. Very bad feeling overcomes me and afterwards, all the people I met at my friend’s house were all shocked.

But that night the Allaho Akbar was stronger, and the urge to go to the manifestation, despite the fact that it was announced that it was not allowed. Tear gas and police was present not to allow people to go. Later I heard the proclamation of Moussavi, very well thought out, and clear, he has become a hero, he writes well. So, we are not still hearing anything from Hashemi, only the two sides are crystallizing, around Khameneyi and Moussavi. People will be out in the street, nothing to stop them at this time, things are being reasoned out, and clearly there will be bloodshed. The Allaho Akbar was even stronger tonight.

Photos taken by kebabandtwoveg.blogspot.com