The Vegan Marxist
19th February 2011, 17:38
Think about it: From the single call by Mir Hossein Mousavi and his supporters, protesters flooded the streets of Tehran by the hundreds of thousands, demanding an end to Ahmadinejads ruling!
Thing about it is, this isnt what really happened. Ever since the re-emergence of the so-called Green Revolution on February 14, the US have been lending their support towards the anti-govt. protesters. Let me, clearly and directly, support the aspirations of the people who are in the streets in Iran today. [...] We think that there needs to be a commitment to open up the political system in Iran, to hear the voices of the opposition and civil society. [...] what we see happening in Iran today is a testament to the courage of the Iranian people and an indictment of the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime, said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.1
Hypocrisy, says Clinton? Thats certainly an interesting claim to be made by the Secretary of State. Especially when it was the US who supported the Egyptian dictatorship by the Mubarak regime for 30 years. It wasnt until the Egyptian people had risen up against the regime that the US started speaking out against Mubaraks crimes.
Though, the green movement thats being led by pro-Mousavi supporters arent just being endorsed by the US govt. through words only, but theyre also contributing in the propaganda campaign against the Iranian regime by playing with the numbers of protester-turnout on the streets of Iran.
If we were to properly analyze each article on where they acquire their sources from, one could easily differentiate legitimate numbers from bogus numbers.
For example, if we were to simply read the articles name provided by The Huffington Post, one wouldnt need to read the article, for it explains the essential message, Iran Protests: Hundreds Of Thousands March, Tear Gas Fired. From the very beginning, it states Clashes between Iranian police and hundreds of thousands of protesters wracked central Tehran on Monday.2 It also seems pretty clear that the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) a known Washington-funded organization who trains dissidents to nationalist, progressive, and socialist govts. in the goal of regime change and free-market exposure would agree with The Huffington Posts claims, seeing as to how they state the very same thing, and actually source back to Huffington.3
Now, clearly, The Huffington Post sources its claim of hundreds of thousands of protesters turning up back to another article by the Financial Times. The problem? Apparently The Huffington Post decided to play around with the numbers of protester-turnout in order to make it seem larger than originally claimed. Instead, the Financial Times claims that Iranian security forces clashed with protesters as tens of thousands marched in Tehran on Monday.4 Of course, we then come across another problem, seeing as to how the Financial Times doesnt even clarify where exactly they were able to attain such numbers.
This is what wed consider an illegitimate claim, due to lack of source validation. In fact, if we were to read the endorsement article by Freedom House another known Washington-funded organization whos goal is to spread western democracy and free-market principles wed notice them claiming that thousands of protesters have gathered in Tehran as well as Kermanshah, Shiraz, Esfahan and Rasht, without even clarifying its source either.5
According to former senior director for Middle Eastern affairs Flynt Leverett, what the US is trying to do is, essentially, get back at the protesters who overthrew or still overthrowing their highly well-funded dictators in the Arab region of the world. He states the American establishment seems determined to even the score, by having displays of mass discontent bring down a U.S. adversary in the Islamic Republic of Iran.6
If we were to essentially ask this question of protester-turnout to someone who actually lives in Tehran, wed then find ourselves receiving quite a different answer. According to Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi, from the University of Tehran, he states that the fact of the matter is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is highly popular. The small group of people who rioted in downtown Tehran today, which are no more than a few hundred, they constitute a small minority.7
So, as we can now clearly see, the US media is essentially playing with numbers here on protester-turnout validity on the streets of Iran. The reason I pull up this issue is because, if it wasnt for actual democratic progressive countries like Cuba and Venezuela, almost the entire world wouldve been backing the Green Revolution back in 2009, because the US media then played with numbers, just like theyre doing so now.
When Flynt Leverett was interviewd by SPIEGEL ONLINE in 2009, they asked him if he was surprised by the large victory of President Ahmadinejad during the 2009 Iranian presidential election, his response was No. I would have been surprised if he had lost. The Western media overstated the surge of his main opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi over the last couple of weeks. They missed almost entirely how Ahmadinejad was perceived to have won the television debate, for instance. There was an extraordinary amount of wishful thinking on the part of American and Western policymakers. Unfortunately, that had a strong impact on the media coverage over the past few weeks.8
It had a strong impact on media coverage, he says. Thats the initial problem. The US media will never point to the fact that on many occasions, millions of predominantly working-class people have demonstrated in support of the Islamic Republic. Or the fact that after the June 12, 2009 elections, even during the peak of large Green demonstrations, there were marches and rallies in support of President Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei, including the June 17 unity rally in Tehran and the June 19 Friday Prayers at Tehran University, each attended by hundreds of thousands.9
These facts were accounted for through live video coverage by helicopter, showing how pro-govt. protests reached at a nationwide level. A fact that US media just so happened to conveniently leave out in their fair and unbiased news reporting of Iran:
ITK5E8nx0N4
So media manipulation was a major threat then, which was thankfully able to be destroyed by the might of the true Iranian people. And if media manipulation was a threat then, itll be a threat now. So we must counter that threat through solidarity with the Iranian people and continue to support Irans independence from Western imperial interests.
Just yesterday, the people of Iran finally stood once again to counter the re-emergence of the Green Revolution.10 And if the turnout of pro-govt. supporters can reach the number we saw in 2009, it is safe to say that Iranian independence will be kept safe by the will of peoples power.
Red Love & Salutes!
-
1. Remarks After Meeting with House Speaker John Boehner, U.S. Department of State, February 14, 2011.
2. Ali Akbar Dareini, Iran Protests: Hundreds Of Thousands March, Tear Gas Fired, The Huffington Post, February 14, 2011.
3. Nasser Karimi, Iran: Opposition leaders should be tried and executed, hardline lawmakers say, ICNC, February 15, 2011.
4. Najmeh Bozorgmehr and Monavar Khalaj, Vast march in Tehran defies ban, Financial Times, February 14, 2011.
5. Authorities in Iran and Bahrain Should Respect Peaceful Demonstrations, Freedom House, February 14, 2011.
6. Flynt Leverett and Hillary Leverett, U.S. desperate for Iran protests after loss of Mubarak, The Race for Iran, February 14, 2011.
7. Tahrir Today, Tehran Tomorrow: Next revolution planned in Iran?, Youtube, February 14, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYjAiUJpQ4&feature=feedu
8. Flynt Leverett, Extraordinary Amount of Wishful Thinking by US, New America Foundation, June 15, 2009.
9. Mazda Majidi, Irans Green Movement and Egypts revolution: A class analysis, Party for Socialism and Liberation, February 17, 2011.
10. Iranians rally to slam Tehran riots, PressTV, February 18, 2011.
Thing about it is, this isnt what really happened. Ever since the re-emergence of the so-called Green Revolution on February 14, the US have been lending their support towards the anti-govt. protesters. Let me, clearly and directly, support the aspirations of the people who are in the streets in Iran today. [...] We think that there needs to be a commitment to open up the political system in Iran, to hear the voices of the opposition and civil society. [...] what we see happening in Iran today is a testament to the courage of the Iranian people and an indictment of the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime, said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.1
Hypocrisy, says Clinton? Thats certainly an interesting claim to be made by the Secretary of State. Especially when it was the US who supported the Egyptian dictatorship by the Mubarak regime for 30 years. It wasnt until the Egyptian people had risen up against the regime that the US started speaking out against Mubaraks crimes.
Though, the green movement thats being led by pro-Mousavi supporters arent just being endorsed by the US govt. through words only, but theyre also contributing in the propaganda campaign against the Iranian regime by playing with the numbers of protester-turnout on the streets of Iran.
If we were to properly analyze each article on where they acquire their sources from, one could easily differentiate legitimate numbers from bogus numbers.
For example, if we were to simply read the articles name provided by The Huffington Post, one wouldnt need to read the article, for it explains the essential message, Iran Protests: Hundreds Of Thousands March, Tear Gas Fired. From the very beginning, it states Clashes between Iranian police and hundreds of thousands of protesters wracked central Tehran on Monday.2 It also seems pretty clear that the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) a known Washington-funded organization who trains dissidents to nationalist, progressive, and socialist govts. in the goal of regime change and free-market exposure would agree with The Huffington Posts claims, seeing as to how they state the very same thing, and actually source back to Huffington.3
Now, clearly, The Huffington Post sources its claim of hundreds of thousands of protesters turning up back to another article by the Financial Times. The problem? Apparently The Huffington Post decided to play around with the numbers of protester-turnout in order to make it seem larger than originally claimed. Instead, the Financial Times claims that Iranian security forces clashed with protesters as tens of thousands marched in Tehran on Monday.4 Of course, we then come across another problem, seeing as to how the Financial Times doesnt even clarify where exactly they were able to attain such numbers.
This is what wed consider an illegitimate claim, due to lack of source validation. In fact, if we were to read the endorsement article by Freedom House another known Washington-funded organization whos goal is to spread western democracy and free-market principles wed notice them claiming that thousands of protesters have gathered in Tehran as well as Kermanshah, Shiraz, Esfahan and Rasht, without even clarifying its source either.5
According to former senior director for Middle Eastern affairs Flynt Leverett, what the US is trying to do is, essentially, get back at the protesters who overthrew or still overthrowing their highly well-funded dictators in the Arab region of the world. He states the American establishment seems determined to even the score, by having displays of mass discontent bring down a U.S. adversary in the Islamic Republic of Iran.6
If we were to essentially ask this question of protester-turnout to someone who actually lives in Tehran, wed then find ourselves receiving quite a different answer. According to Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi, from the University of Tehran, he states that the fact of the matter is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is highly popular. The small group of people who rioted in downtown Tehran today, which are no more than a few hundred, they constitute a small minority.7
So, as we can now clearly see, the US media is essentially playing with numbers here on protester-turnout validity on the streets of Iran. The reason I pull up this issue is because, if it wasnt for actual democratic progressive countries like Cuba and Venezuela, almost the entire world wouldve been backing the Green Revolution back in 2009, because the US media then played with numbers, just like theyre doing so now.
When Flynt Leverett was interviewd by SPIEGEL ONLINE in 2009, they asked him if he was surprised by the large victory of President Ahmadinejad during the 2009 Iranian presidential election, his response was No. I would have been surprised if he had lost. The Western media overstated the surge of his main opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi over the last couple of weeks. They missed almost entirely how Ahmadinejad was perceived to have won the television debate, for instance. There was an extraordinary amount of wishful thinking on the part of American and Western policymakers. Unfortunately, that had a strong impact on the media coverage over the past few weeks.8
It had a strong impact on media coverage, he says. Thats the initial problem. The US media will never point to the fact that on many occasions, millions of predominantly working-class people have demonstrated in support of the Islamic Republic. Or the fact that after the June 12, 2009 elections, even during the peak of large Green demonstrations, there were marches and rallies in support of President Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei, including the June 17 unity rally in Tehran and the June 19 Friday Prayers at Tehran University, each attended by hundreds of thousands.9
These facts were accounted for through live video coverage by helicopter, showing how pro-govt. protests reached at a nationwide level. A fact that US media just so happened to conveniently leave out in their fair and unbiased news reporting of Iran:
ITK5E8nx0N4
So media manipulation was a major threat then, which was thankfully able to be destroyed by the might of the true Iranian people. And if media manipulation was a threat then, itll be a threat now. So we must counter that threat through solidarity with the Iranian people and continue to support Irans independence from Western imperial interests.
Just yesterday, the people of Iran finally stood once again to counter the re-emergence of the Green Revolution.10 And if the turnout of pro-govt. supporters can reach the number we saw in 2009, it is safe to say that Iranian independence will be kept safe by the will of peoples power.
Red Love & Salutes!
-
1. Remarks After Meeting with House Speaker John Boehner, U.S. Department of State, February 14, 2011.
2. Ali Akbar Dareini, Iran Protests: Hundreds Of Thousands March, Tear Gas Fired, The Huffington Post, February 14, 2011.
3. Nasser Karimi, Iran: Opposition leaders should be tried and executed, hardline lawmakers say, ICNC, February 15, 2011.
4. Najmeh Bozorgmehr and Monavar Khalaj, Vast march in Tehran defies ban, Financial Times, February 14, 2011.
5. Authorities in Iran and Bahrain Should Respect Peaceful Demonstrations, Freedom House, February 14, 2011.
6. Flynt Leverett and Hillary Leverett, U.S. desperate for Iran protests after loss of Mubarak, The Race for Iran, February 14, 2011.
7. Tahrir Today, Tehran Tomorrow: Next revolution planned in Iran?, Youtube, February 14, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYjAiUJpQ4&feature=feedu
8. Flynt Leverett, Extraordinary Amount of Wishful Thinking by US, New America Foundation, June 15, 2009.
9. Mazda Majidi, Irans Green Movement and Egypts revolution: A class analysis, Party for Socialism and Liberation, February 17, 2011.
10. Iranians rally to slam Tehran riots, PressTV, February 18, 2011.