Christian Science Monitor – Excerpt: “Opposition Green Movement activists in major cities around Iran are playing a cat-and-mouse game with authorities seeking to shut down their operations ahead of Feb. 11, a revolutionary anniversary that the activists are hoping to use for the country’s largest street protests yet. ‘The whole future … is at stake,’ said Shahab Mousavvat, a London-based exile who used to work for the state-run broadcaster Press TV. ‘Incremental actions are planned from the 1st through the 11th of February.’ Feb. 11, 1979, was the culmination of the Islamic Revolution that overthrew Iran’s then-monarch, Shah Reza Pahlavi. Demonstrators communicating via e-mail and cellphone are planning a week of ‘civil resistance.’ Since Monday, organizers have been seeking Green Movement supporters through SMS messages, patriotic video clips posted on the Internet, and slogans daubed on walls. They’re encouraging residents of large cities to shout ‘Allahu Akbar’ from rooftops, and are planning a series of protest marches leading up to Feb. 11, when a major pro-government march is planned. Opposition activists say they intend to infiltrate that pro-government march in large numbers. Once in Tehran’s Azadi Square, where state broadcaster cameras will be rolling, they plan to whip out protest banners and transform the crowd into a sea of green.”
iPouya: In my opinion, if they actually go through with the plan of hijacking the pro-regime demonstrations, the pro and anti-regime protesters will end up turning the event into a street fight. In other words, this specific plan is a horrible strategy. Turning official days of protest as days to vent against the regime makes complete sense, but to try to take over pro-regime rallies is foolish and naive. I really hope they are not considering this option seriously.
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