Iran protests: How a night of drama became a watershed moment for the regime
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It’s like everyone knew what they were supposed to do,” said one protester, a resident of one of the many neighbourhoods along Shariati Street that took part in what turned out to be the largest and most widespread protests across the capital. “The special guards would open fire and they would chase people down side streets, and fire teargas into the streets, even in the small residential neighbourhoods,” said the protester. “People who couldn’t handle the tension and chaos on the main street gathered on the side streets.” Older residents stood at doorways, to allow protesters fleeing regime enforcers to escape. “That meant that in some places people were chanting slogans and there were no security forces.” The protester, a longtime Tehran resident who was active in the 2009 uprising that followed the disputed re-election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said that on Wednesday she saw people from demographic groups she had never before seen represented at protests, including the kind of chic apolitical youth one might have thought more likely to obsess over fashion than take part in these activities.