Fox 7 - Locals Protesting Iran Elections

AUSTIN - Austin residents and students are protesting in front of the capitol on Wednesday at 5:30 pm. The protesters are marching and rallying against the recent controversial re-election of President Ahmadinejad of Iran.

Both Iranian and non-Iranian students plus citizens of Austin and San Antonio will be attending the rally. They are protesting Iran's crackdown on opposing groups and communications within their country. The government is shutting down Iranians means of communicating with each other as a way to prevent potential protests.

"I was there in 1999 when the student movement broke out... this is different. 1999 was a concerted effort by the students; this is an internal dispute between the revolution's two main factions," said Banafsheh Madaninejad of the Austin Permanent Peace Protest. "Moussavi has promised to do what Khatami refused to commit to during his presidency and the student bloodshed of '99, making the supreme leader acquiesce to the people's need for a more open society."

According to the AP, Iran has accused the United States on Wednesday of "intolerable" meddling in its internal affairs, alleging for the first time that Washington has fueled a bitter postelection
dispute. Opposition supporters marched in huge numbers through Tehran's streets for a third straight day to protest the outcome of the balloting.


A State Department spokesman said the U.S. was withholding judgment about the election and not interfering in Iranian internal affairs.


President Barack Obama has reacted cautiously to opposition allegations that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the election, saying he shared the world's "deep concerns" but it was "not
productive, given the history of U.S.-Iranian relations, to be seen as meddling."

The sponsors of the protest at the Texas Capitol are by Iranians for Peace and Justice of the University of Texas, Austin Permanent Peace Protest, Persian Student Society of the University of Texas, and many other concerned students and Austin citizens.
http://www.UTIPJ.com

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