Street Protests Cool, But Iran Opposition Takes to Rooftops

Mousavi supporters chant from rooftops, but opposition's next step is unclear
By Marie Morris,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 19, 2009 4:32 PM CDT
Street Protests Cool, But Iran Opposition Takes to Rooftops
A member of a pro-government militia, left, stands guard on a rooftop as demonstrators approach near a rally supporting opposition presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi in Tehran on Monday.   (AP Photo)

Calls of “Allahu Akbar” punctuated Tehran’s evening quiet as some residents took to their rooftops to protest Ayatollah Khamenei’s support of what they see as fraudulent election results, MSNBC reports. Despite the rooftop protests—a tactic used in the 1979 revolution—outright street demonstrations from supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi have stopped for the moment, and it is uncertain whether they will resume tomorrow.

If the opposition decides to restart the protests, it could face dire consequences— Khamenei called for an end to demonstrations and wept, lamenting the state of the republic. In the past, weeping in a public address has been used by Khamenei to signal to the Basij—a volunteer militia—that it could use violence to silence protesters, an analyst said. (More Mir Hossein Mousavi stories.)

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