Few arrests after Tehran opposition protests

TEHRAN’S police chief said that few arrests were made in opposition protests that erupted a day earlier in the Iranian capital in an opposition attempt to revive street demonstrations over the country’s disputed election.

The lack of an overwhelming crackdown — despite authorities’ vows to “smash” anyone who joined the marches — could suggest the country’s leadership is hoping Thursday’s protests would be a one-time event.

Several thousand demonstrators marched down Tehran’s main avenues in Thursday’s protests, chanting “down with the dictator” and slogans in support of Mir Hossein Mousavi, the pro-reform candidate. He contends he was defrauded of victory in June 12 presidential elections that showed a landslide victory for incumbent hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and was declared valid by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In some locations, police clashed with protesters, beating them with batons and firing tear gas. But there was not a total clampdown and in some areas security forces allowed protesters to demonstrate.

The protests, which organisers had planned for one day only, died down by Thursday night, and yesterday there were no demonstrations. “The number of those arrested was very few, and there was no widespread campaign of arrests,” Tehran police chief Azizullah Rajabzadeh told the semi-official Mehr news agency.

He said those detained were involved in “instigating the damaging of public property and chanting”.

Rajabzadeh did not give an exact number of arrests. Elsewhere, pro-reform websites reported members of the Basij, a paramilitary militia that has been involved in putting down protests, stormed into Amirkabir University on Thursday and attacked students.

Officials could not be reached to comment on the reports. Thursday’s marches were the first in about two weeks. Mousavi has said he will persist in his campaign against a government that he says has no legitimacy.