The disappearance of Tehran's plastic bins
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Days before the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, which anti-government protesters are planning to disrupt, the authorities are taking precautions in an attempt to stop them from succeeding. No more burning of bins in the dark of the night - the standard plastic containers are being replaced with metal ones. Read more....
Days before the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, which anti-government protesters are planning to disrupt, the authorities are taking precautions in an attempt to stop them from succeeding. No more burning of bins in the dark of the night - the standard plastic containers are being replaced by metal ones.
Thursday (Feb. 11) marks the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power in 1979. In preparation for the celebration, the government has arrested seven alleged opposition activists who they say are "tied with counter-revolutionary and Zionist networks" and planning to cause trouble at the festivities.
Other, less conspicuous "safety measures" are also being put in place. A pair of Tehran residents filmed the following video on Friday night.
"It's Bahman 17 [Feb. 6 2010], twenty minutes after midnight... they're swapping the plastic bins with metal ones. (...) We're on Keshavarz Boulevard [which leads to Valissr Square, a protest hot-spot] in the centre of Tehran." Video posted on YouTube by "hamidnaser" , Feb. 6, 2010.
“They’ve changed the plastic bins because they’re easily set alight [by protesters] in order to form a blockade in the street”
Leila is a 33-year-old engineer from Tehran.
They've changed the plastic bins because they're easily set alight [by protesters] in order to form a blockade in the street. The metal ones will stop people from doing this. However, people are talking about other street resistance methods; we'll use anything available - this hasn't put us off. Even if they shoot at us, they won't stop us from using this day to demonstrate our desire for freedom. It was what happened after the same day 31 years ago that's left is disappointed.
Right now it's like the city is under unofficial martial law. Security forced are stationed around the football stadium near Haft-e Tir square [a protest hot-spot in the city's north]. Meanwhile traffic controls are taking place between Imam Hossein square and Azadi Square, where the rally will take place. They've also put up a ridiculous amount of loudspeakers along the road which I think they're going to use to shout down protesters with their official slogans. Protesters are talking of cutting the electricity wires or taking along noisy instruments such as football horns and whistles to counteract them."
Photo of the newly assembled speakers taken on Aazadi Street, where the rally will take place. Image posted by one of our Observers for Iran, Mehdi Saharkhiz, on his blog, Feb. 7, 2010.
It's not only the authorities who are trying to subdue protesters. The following poster was uploaded onto hard-line blog "War at home":
The poster reads: "On February 11 we will be waiting for you. The Iranian people will deal with the rioters in the streets."