Police fire tear gas at protestors in Iran

TEHRAN - Police fired tear gas against protestors near Tehran University in Iran Monday, trying to quell demonstrations against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, witnesses said.

The witnesses also reported clashes between supporters and opponents of the president.

The clashes occurred after the protestors shouted slogans against the president such as “Death to the Dictator” and not to surrender to oppression.

Police were also said to have arrested several protestors and taken them into vans and buses parked near Tehran University, witnesses said, but could not say how many were taken into custody.

The protestors also shouted “Don’t be afraid, we are all together”.

Witnesses said that the use of mobile phones near the university was no longer possible but landline phones were still working in that district.

Some protestors were filming the demonstration with their mobile phones and planned to place the footage later Monday on video sharing site YouTube and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which have become major means of communication for the protestors.

The smell of tear gas spread along Enqelab Street where Tehran University is located. All shops were closed as doing business was impossible in the area due to the protests.

Iranian authorities Monday banned foreign media from covering an annual rally in central Tehran and tightened security for fear of renewed opposition protests.

Witnesses said hundreds of police and security forces were deployed around Tehran University, which is believed to be the main venue for protests against the president.

Rallies are held every year Dec 7, or Students’ Day, to commemorate the deaths of three students in anti-US protests in 1953.

Witnesses inside the university said hundreds of students shouted slogans against Ahmadinejad and in favour of Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the leader of the opposition Green Movement. The colour stands for protest and change.

The Fars news agency confirmed those reports but said Moussavi’s supporters numbered only 50, while the number of pro-Ahmadinejad students was “40 times greater”.

Other witnesses reported clashes between police and demonstrators in a central Tehran square, but that information could not yet be verified due to restrictions on the press in force from Monday to Wednesday.

The government warned students to commemorate the day inside the university campus only with prior official permission, and not misuse the occasion for protests against Ahmadinejad.

Following the disputed June 12 presidential elections, which saw Ahmadinejad re-elected amid widespread allegations of vote rigging, opposition supporters have repeatedly used officially approved rallies to voice their discontent.