Black Is The New Momentum

June 18, 2009 by Jonathan Movroydis | Filed Under Iran 

Ayatollah Khamanei’s call on The Guardian Council to hear electoral “irregularities” is little more than an attempt to neutralize the crowds. But with 32 already dead, some of whom have been dragged out of their university dorms, now is the time to mourn:

Hundreds of thousands of black-clad protesters massed quietly in central Tehran on Thursday for another day of protest over last week’s disputed presidential election, even as the Iranian government made its first move toward some form of dialogue to defuse the outrage.
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The move came in the form of an invitation from the country’s powerful Guardian Council to the three losing candidates to meet to discuss their grievances.

Mir Hossein and his wife Zahra Rahnavard excited today’s crowds:

At one point, a car drove into the thick of the demonstration, and the main opposition leader, Mir Hussein Moussavi, and his wife, got out and stood on top of their car to address the crowd. The crowd greeted them with a roaring welcome, witnesses said.

As on previous days, the police kept to the sidelines, and while vigilante forces appeared, there were no immediate reports of clashes.

Mr. Moussavi had called on his followers to mourn those protesters killed in clashes with paramilitary forces over the past several days, and protesters responded by wearing black and carrying black candles. Many held up their hands, their fingers making a V-sign for victory.

Tomorrow’s weekly Jumu’ah will keep the momentum sustained as will a rally on Saturday called my clertic Mohammed Khatami:

State television’s Press TV reported on its Web site that Mr. Moussavi was already set to address a rally on Saturday, called by a group of reformist clerics loyal to a former reformist president, Mohammed Khatami, who has thrown his support to the opposition.

Press TV said Thursday that the reformist clerics group, the Association of Combatant Clerics, had asked for authorization to hold the pro-Moussavi rally in Tehran.

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