Qods Day Demonstrations in Iran: updating throughout the day

We’ll be updating this post throughout the day.
(All times in Amsterdam time)

16:51: Report of today’s events from inside Iran (in Persian… hope to summarize later): http://www.voteforiran.com/2009/09/qods-day-demonstrations-report-from-in-iran/

14:52: Oh yeah, Pedestrian also reports that there are claims that official state news agencies showed last year’s footage of Qods Day demos. Any confirmation out there?

update: There is now confirmation that Mehr News has published at least some of last year’s photos. The one confirmation we have is that the photo of Mousavi published on their site is from last year.

14:45: Pedestrian has a great (no surprises there) post up at Sidewalk Lyrics. She has an eyewitness report from the blogger Agha Bahman, describing his day, plus a falsified report (just for our amusement) that Karoubi’s team fired tear gas into a crowd in order to get him away from angry protesters (not true, as she knows), and the report about Ahmadinejad’s live interview being interrupted by chants of “Resign!”

14:00: Over on Twitter, Iran_Translator is updating us on rallies in Kermanshah. He reports beatings and force used to disperse opposition demonstrators.

13:37: Mowj Camp is down. Cyber attacks beginning.

Added a youTube gallery for today’s videos: http://www.voteforiran.com/2009/09/qods-day-videos/

13:12: Over at Iran News Now, there is a good (live blogging) overview of today’s events.

13:10: Reports are coming in that there were large turnouts in Qom as well. Still sketchy…

13:00: Over at CNN’s iReport, we see images from demonstrations on Karimkhan Blvd in Tehran:

12:50: Mousavi’s facebook page has put up a video of chanters in support of Karoubi. The demonstrations are shouting that if Karoubi is arrested, all hell will break loose.

12:40: The LA Times confirms reports of massive opposition turnout:

Tens of thousands of demonstrators chanting, “Not Gaza, not Lebanon, I sacrifice my life for Iran,” swarmed the streets of the capital, turning a day in support of the Palestinian cause into a major opposition rally…

State-controlled Iranian television showed thousands of demonstrators wearing traditional Arab scarves, holding posters of Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and chanting “Death to Israel,” a traditional rallying cry on this holiday, which takes place on the last Friday of every Islamic calendar month of Ramadan.

But witnesses reported that demonstrators chanting anti-government slogans had taken complete control of Tehran’s expansive Seventh of Tir Square. Video posted to YouTube showed thousands of others holding up green ribbons and rallying peacefully in Tehran, Esfahan and Shiraz…

12:30: Lots of images and videos going up at CNN’s iReport.

via Enduring America, we see footage of demonstrators shouting at a helicopter.

12:07:Mehdi Saharkhiz reports on some of today’s arrests:

Hamed, Nasser and Hajar Montazeri, Grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s grandchildren, as well as Marziye Elahiniya wife of Hamed and Sara Azizi wife of Nasser were arrested today when they were participating in Green Qods Day rally.Also La’ya Rabani, Daughter of Ayatollah Rabani-Alamshi, as well as her daughter, Zahra Doust-Mohamadi, and Mohammad Hossein Rabani another grandson of Ayatollah were arrested in today’s rally.

11:58: Rouydad News is reporting that 7 carloads of megaphones were brought in to drown out the chants of protesters.

11:56: A video of today’s demonstrations has been posted on YouTube. Demonstrators are chanting “Down with Russia” in response to chants from the loudspeaker of “Down with Israel Down with America”

Tehran’s Green Movement turning Qod’s day into a protest against the Iranian regime: the following video is from today’s protest on Karimkhan street.

11:50: Mir Hossein’s Facebook page reports on the arrests of the daughter of Ayatollah Rabani Alamshahi:

La’ya Rabani, Daughter of Ayatollah Rabani-Alamshi, as well as her daughter, Zahra Doust-Mohamadi, and Mohammad Hossein Rabani another grandson of Ayatollah were arrested in today’s Green Qods Day rally

11:30 Mowj-e Sabz is reporting that there are still a lot of people near Vali Asr Square. All mobile coverage has been blocked in that area, and the police are trying to disperse demonstrators.

از روز قدس / نیروهای بسیجی، راهپیمایی آرام سبزها در تبریز را به خشونت کشیدند
مردم تبریز که پس از فراخوان احزاب و گروه‏های حامی جنبش سبز تصمیم به حضور در راهپیمایی روز قدس گرفته بودند، صبح امروز پس از تجمع در میدان آبرسان و حرکت به سمت میدان ساعت، پس از رسیدن به چهارراه منصور توسط نیروهای بسیجی و لباس شخصی مورد حمله قرار گرفتند.

به گزارش موج سبز آزادی به نقل از پایگاه خبری یولداش، در این راهپیمایی که شعارهایی همچون مرگ بر روسیه، موسوی می‏رزمد، کروبی می‏رزمد، الله اکبر، روسیه در چه فکریه، ایران پر از موسویه و … سر داده شد.

بر اساس گزارشات مردمی پس از درگیری نیروهای لباس شخصی با راهپیمایان سبز روز قدس، چندین نفر نیز در تبریز دستگیر و بازداشت شدند.

11:00: Sources in Tehran tell us that the chants from the opposition drowned out the chants from the pro-Ahmadinejad marchers.
Mowj Camp reports clashes between plainclothes forces and demonstrators in Tabriz, with many arrested. Similar news is coming out of Esfahan. In Esfahan, highly organized plain clothes forces attacked people with batons.

از روز قدس / نیروهای بسیجی، راهپیمایی آرام سبزها در تبریز را به خشونت کشیدند

مردم تبریز که پس از فراخوان احزاب و گروه‏های حامی جنبش سبز تصمیم به حضور در راهپیمایی روز قدس گرفته بودند، صبح امروز پس از تجمع در میدان آبرسان و حرکت به سمت میدان ساعت، پس از رسیدن به چهارراه منصور توسط نیروهای بسیجی و لباس شخصی مورد حمله قرار گرفتند.

به گزارش موج سبز آزادی به نقل از پایگاه خبری یولداش، در این راهپیمایی که شعارهایی همچون مرگ بر روسیه، موسوی می‏رزمد، کروبی می‏رزمد، الله اکبر، روسیه در چه فکریه، ایران پر از موسویه و … سر داده شد.

بر اساس گزارشات مردمی پس از درگیری نیروهای لباس شخصی با راهپیمایان سبز روز قدس، چندین نفر نیز در تبریز دستگیر و بازداشت شدند.

UPDATE: @rupertbu has identified this photo as a reversal of an image taken at a June 14th Rally, NOT at the Qods Day rally.10:45: Mehdi Saharkhiz has added a photo of Khatami (almost didn’t recognize him without the black turban) at demonstrations today:

10:38: Enduring America has a running translation (with some comments) of Ahmadinejad’s speech at Friday Prayers.

10:15: @EANewsFeed reports that Parleman News “confirms” an attack on Khatami that has forced him to leave the Qods Day rally. Parleman News reports that it seems as though the attack was planned in advance:
پارلمان‌نیوز: گروهک فشار در برنامه‌ای از قبل تعیین شده به سوی سیدمحمد خاتمی حمله ور شدند.
به گزارش خبرنگار پایگاه خبری فراکسیون خط امام(ره)مجلس«پارلمان‌نیوز»، از ساعتی پیش رئیس جمهور همیشه محبوب کشورمان، سید محمد خاتمی در میان هزاران نفر از مردم حامی جنبش سبز در مسیر خیابان حجاب به سمت میدان فلسطین حاضر شد.
در حالی‌که حضور سیدمحمد خاتمی با استقبال بسیار گسترده مردم روبرو شده بود «گروهک فشار» به رهبری ابوالفضل شریعتمداری، «آقازاده» حسین شریعتمداری مدیرمسئول روزنامه تندروی کیهان با اطلاع قبلی از مسیر عبور خاتمی ناگهان به او حمله کردند، در لحظات ابتدایی آنها عمامه فرزند فاضل و باتقوای امام راحل را بر زمین انداختند و قصد ضرب و شتم رئیس دولت اصلاحات را داشتند.

The article reports that the attack was led by the son of the editor of Keyhan, Abolfazl Shariatmadari.

10:07: Mousavi’s Facebook page tells this story of Ahmadinejad’s arrival at Tehran University:

Ahmadinejad entered Tehran University in a bullet proof car with full escort and was welcomed by Green protesters chanting “Liar, Liar, where is your 63% vote?”, “Viva Motazeri, Viva Saanei”, “Assault, Torture, will not work anymore.” The coup agents… are trying to overcome people’s chants with loud speakers playing their desired slogans but have no effect because of hundreds of thousands of people’s loud chant.

9:30 am: We get an early look at demonstrators on Karimkhan Street in Tehran via Only Mehdi