Iran Election Explosion

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    When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was announced as the winner in the June 12, 2009 Iranian election, he might not have expected the massive eruption of protests that ensued inside his country. And with the world closely watching, support for the protesters spread to our own country.

    It has been two months since the election in which Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mohsen Rezaee, and Mehdi Karroubi ran for president of Iran. Ahmadinejad was declared the winner in a landslide victory. But Mousavi and his supporters disputed the election results, claiming fraud and corruption robbed Mousavi as the rightful winner. “Mousavi I think is better for the presidential job,” said Tarik Moussaw of Astoria, Queens.  

    Outraged, Mousavi supporters flooded the streets of Tehran. None seemed to heed previous warnings from authorities that violence would be used against them. These protesters took their time on the streets, shouting about how they’ve been treated and how the election was corrupt. Teargas cans were openly thrown into the large crowds and armed men were pushing people out of the streets. Luckily for some Iranian protesters, several store and hotel owners reportedly let them inside and locked out officers.

    Many protesters and those accused of encouraging the protests were arrested and the protests proved deadly for a number of Iranians. Sympathy for the Iranian protesters was soon displayed herein America.

    Social networking sites likeTwitter and Facebook were used to spread word of what was happening inside Iran. Iranians used Twitter to communicate and organize locations for protests and social networking helped pass information about the situation throughout the world. Soon, protests on the ground were happening in the U.S.  

    On Saturday July 25, 2009, flags and posters were being held up as 600 people chanted onto the concrete of Times Square. Most of the people were wearing green—the official color of the movement—as they walked all the way to the United Nations with a goal. This goal was to get the United Nations involved and help the Iranian people from their own government.

    These protesters demanded freedom, civil rights, and equality for the Iranians. They sat in front of the U.N as musical guests, such as Iranian American Fared Shafinury, played songs. 

    

    â€œWe as the Iranian resistance have always been asking for a free election under the auspices of the U.N,” proclaimed Nasser Razii of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.  The protesters all sang along trying as much as possible to make their voices heard. 

    For the protesters to make themselves truly heard, they not only chanted to the United Nations but also to the heart of the United States. In Washington D.C., hundreds of Iranian American protesters once again took to the streets near Capitol Hill. Most displaying green peace signs, they gathered in one large crowd. Soon enough, all the protesters started marching from block to block drawing in more and more people, until they finally reached the White House. They all halted and began raising posters that read  “free Iran,” “where is my vote,” and “united for Iran.”

    Just like at the New York City rally, these protesters wanted to make a difference. “All those people weren’t chanting for Mousavi, but for the rights of the Iranian people,” said Hafez Akbari who attended the Times Square rally. 

    Soon the protesters started chanting phrases such as “reject the sham elections, impose complete sanctions.” Mainly the rally was for the freedom of the Iranian people but the anger towards Ahmadinejad was evident as some people chanted “death to Ahmadinejad.”

    Aside from whether the election was hijacked, the real question is whether the Iranian people will be given their democratic rights. “The protests began in reaction to the election results,” said Nasser Razii, “but it soon became evident the Iranian people are against the totality of this regime.”