Students Protest Ahmadinejad Speech

Police use tear gas as demonstrators rush university venue
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 8, 2007 12:25 PM CDT
Students Protest Ahmadinejad Speech
An Iranian student kicks a gate of Tehran University during a protest against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as anti-riot police officers stand behind the gate, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Oct. 8, 2007. An estimated 100 students staged a rare demonstration Monday against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,...   (Associated Press)

Iranian students mounted a rare protest today as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke at Tehran University. Opponents shouted “Death to the dictator!” and tried to enter the hall where the president was speaking, prompting police to fire tear gas into the crowd. Protesters also tried to prevent Ahmadinejad from leaving, but they eventually dispersed, the BBC reports.

The protest was a rare display in an atmosphere increasingly hostile toward dissent, the LA Times reports;Ahmadinejad supporters countered with chants of "Death to the hypocrites." The demonstration came 2 weeks after Ahmadinejad's contentious appearance at Columbia University, after which student leaders demanded he meet with them. (More Iran stories.)

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