Slow Revolution

“Iranian police have fired tear gas and warning shots to disperse opposition protesters in central Tehran, witnesses have said. The clashes on Sunday came as the country’s Shia Muslims marked Ashoura, a religious event commemorating the 7th century death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. ‘Hundreds of police, riot police and security forces are at Haft-e Tir square, Enqelab Street and near the main bazaar,’ the opposition Jaras website reported. It also said three people had been killed after security forces opened fire. Al Jazeera’s Mohammad Hassan al-Bahrani, reporting from Tehran, said the police had arrested a number of protesters. ‘Hundreds of supporters of the Iranian opposition, mainly of reformist forces, have protested and chanted slogans supporting [Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali] Montazeri and [opposition leader] Mir Hossein Moussavi,’ he said.”