Protests subside but anger still seethes

Demonstrations against Iran's establishment appeared to have ended on Friday with no reports of protesters gathering in the capital after nine nights of protest. Riot police and hardline Islamic vigilantes lined the streets in some hot spots and intersections where protests, which have been strongly endorsed by Washington, had erupted on previous evenings. Protests began when students reacted angrily to plans to privatise Tehran University and related services. But the disturbances soon spread as protesting students expressed their opposition to both reformist President Mohammad Khatami and the conservative clerics who have blocked his attempts at reform. The protests are the most significant demonstrations in Iran for four years, when the university was attacked by hundreds of government supporters, leaving one killed, many wounded and hundreds arrested. Rasul Samadi, 42, a florist on the same street as the recent protests, expressed concern that the events might develop into clashes as severe as those of 1999. "The students are quite annoyed with the hardliner policies, and their protest against the privatisation of the universities is just a pretext to reflect their demands for further freedom," he told IRIN in Tehran. Ma'sumeh Najafi, a 21-year-old student from Kermanshah, said the students were not only being denied freedom at the universities but also they would be under increasing economic pressures should the privatisation takes place. "It is getting really choking, you see," she added, wrapping herself protectively in her black chador. "This has been a spontaneous reaction. But it may not remain so, as... there has been a lot of propaganda by some radical student streams for wide civic protests," Ramin Razani, 23, told IRIN. However, he was not sure "how far the rule will tolerate" radical action. With more that half its population between 15 and 24 years of age, Iran has a very young population with few social freedoms. More than three million young people enter public and private universities annually. The student movement used to be among the pioneers during the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. However, students got a shock in 1980 when the universities were closed down for more than three years in order to carry out a "cultural revolution" or political cleansing in the universities. Students provided the major support for Khatami when he was elected for the first time in 1997. The situation is currently calm following intimidation by the Law Enforcement Forces patrolling the capital. However, the possibility of further protests grows as 9 July, the anniversary of student protests in 1999, approaches. The official IRNA news agency and the student news agency ISNA carried no reports on Friday of protests in other cities. More than 300 people have been arrested in Tehran alone since the protests broke out last week. Dozens were injured when hardline Islamic vigilantes armed with batons, chains and knives attacked students and demonstrators a week ago. Meanwhile, Washington has hailed the protests as a cry for freedom, leading to accusations of blatant interference from Tehran. In Tehran on Thursday, the hardline Basij militia, who are fiercely loyal to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene'i and trained and equipped by the Revolutionary Guards, vowed to defend Iran's Islamic establishment.