On the Ground
Read first-person accounts, directly from Iranians’ Facebook posts to their blogs, from before and after the protests.
What is obvious is that we should not measure the strength of the greens on these days, which we share with people swimming in ignorance.
Our real strength was apparent on the demonstrations in June and the funeral of the Late Montazeri and there is no need for us to prove our point on that scale.
Will their taking over the streets with the help of their media and resources and noise be enough to take the green off the flag?
I believe that it's not bad at all for you to take a step forward one day and one back another, and it will cause the movement to shift and think of using its other capacities. They've closed the streets, not the mind.
“Reform needs hope, and there are no revolutionary elements in it. I know this well.”
First-Person Accounts from Iranian Blogger Mardomax.mx
I don't understand those who considered February 11 a final date nor those who thought something extraordinary was supposed to happen. I don't understand all this disappointment. Reform needs hope, and there are no revolutionary elements in it. I know this well. Don't we all imagine a better tomorrow? Why do we think that we have to own the streets to implement a [democratic] culture?
We went to Aryashahr and Azadi with the metro from Sadeqiye. Their people were stepping off the buses and walking in groups of 50 to 100.
• What’s Happening in Iran: Photos, Video, Dispatches And there was distance between them. To be safe from the batons, we would walk between them. As soon as we'd raise our voices or show the V sign, they would beat us to kill. We were beaten when we were between them. I turned toward Hafte Tir from Karimkhan Ave. It was filled with police and cars. Their loyalists were standing by the doors to the metro station. Around the square and by the metros were filled by women in chadors and bearded men and those who had obviously been brought into town for demonstrations. There were riot police at every intersection. There were no people and if there were, in groups of less than 20.
I've returned home, tired and bruised and sad, today wasn't our day. I wish my tears would flow. Everywhere was officially filled with riot police, almost all of the batons were electric. I didn't hear shots but I saw some bloody heads and thousands of teary eyes.
A Mother's Account of the Scene in Isfahan
The regime was bringing its goons with buses and handed them their own green flags. There were a lot of people and they were all out. Plainclothes went around and separated goons from the civilians by using knives and chains. The goons and the civilians were on opposite sides of the street. They severely attacked people and pushed them down. People shouted various slogans against Khamenei. We were not able to run, so we could not stay longer, but the youth stayed. The youth told us to go because they still had a lot to do.
Still Hopeful
The Daily Beast’s Jason Shams reports one blog reads: “It's 6am, my mother knows that I will be going out, I'm holding back tears. My mother's eyes are worried, she saw my father off the same way 25 years ago to defend the country. My father never came back, and my mother raised me with great difficulty. I convinced her last night that I'm going to finish what my father left halfway.”
Jason Shams is an American-Iranian who has spent most of his life in Iran. He has worked as translator, interpreter, journalist, and political analyst in Iran for more than 20 years. He moved to the United States in November after being part of the Green Movement for months.