Sunday Bloody Sunday in Tehran
William Steven Noell | Contributing Writer
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: World View
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Written to describe the killing of protesters in Northern Ireland during the early 1970s, the lyrics to "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 are being dedicated to those who have died during recent protests in Iran. Beginning their stop in Barcelona, U2 transforms the performance of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" into one advocating freedom in Iran.
On July 12, Iranians voted in a presidential election that has been widely criticized for alleged irregularities and signs of corruption. Two attempts were made to get a comment from the Iranian UN Consulate for this article; however, they refused both times. For weeks, hundreds of thousands of Iranians had been marching through the streets of Tehran, Isfahan and other Iranian cities in support of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Mousavi represented the greatest political threat to the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and when the election results were reported, Ahmadinejad won by 63 percent. Unconvinced that the results were as lopsided as reported and certain that their candidate, Mousavi, had been unjustly cheated out of the presidency, those protestors again took to the streets. Carrying green banners and wearing green scarves (the official color of Mousavi's campaign), the protestors walked through the streets in silence.
At first, these rallies were met with mere indifference by the Iranian government, but as frequency and participation grew in the following days, the state deployed official police forces and the Basij, a volunteer militia group, to break up the protestors. Refusing to disperse, the protestors were attacked by the Basij on motorcycles carrying truncheons and guns. Tear gas was tossed into the crowd. Dumpsters were set on fire, and the opposition voices grew louder. Protesters were shot from rooftops and died in the streets.
One victim of the shootings was Neda Agha-Soltan. The Iranian government has denied that her death was caused by the Basij. She has become a symbol for those dying in the fight against the current Iranian regime.
Though resistance still exists and nightly chants of protest fill the air, the numbers that once poured into the streets of Tehran have dwindled. The violence and oppression of the police force has kept many off the streets. As those voices inside Iran become quiet, voices advocating their cause resonate across the world.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Steve
posted 11/24/09 @ 9:32 AM EST
Bono is a self-righteous ego-maniac who is just trying to prove that he is still in touch with "the people."
Somehow I doubt that any concert-goers have been motivated by that one song to write their congressman or become involved in the Iranian human rights movement. (Continued…)
Luke
posted 11/24/09 @ 11:18 PM EST
This is very much a story. Don't discredit Bono. He and U2 have done some really good work with debt forgiveness for developing countries (work he did with NC's Jesse Helms, might I add). (Continued…)
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